How strong is your faith?

How strong is your faith?

From the biblical standpoint, "faith is the strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof."

I'd like to believe I have a strong faith in God but I couldn't hold a candle to Abraham, Noah or even David.

David was just a young Israelite shepherd boy delivering food to his brothers on the warfront against the Philistines. When no soldier in the Israelite army would accept the challenge from the enemy's giant, Goliath, David took him on. With his faith in God and his faith in his ability with a slingshot, he slew the giant.

I kind of feel like a member of that Israelite army, trying to find a way to slay the giant, Medicare. For months now, I have been bombarded with the slings and arrows from every imaginable health care insurance provider from here to Timbuktu. A whole forest in the state of Washington has been decimated of its trees to make the paper for all the mail they have sent me. Which plan to pick. Do I want the prescription plan? What do I do if I pick wrong? Finally taking a giant leap of faith, I slung my stone from my slingshot. I'm not sure I place all my faith in where it landed, but I'm pretty sure I hit the target. Somewhere. Please let me have hit the mark.

Then there's good old Noah. This guy suffered ridicule and persecution from everyone as he built a huge ark that God told him to build. Not really understanding it, but by blind faith, he put his trust in God that he was doing the right thing and ended up saving mankind and the animal kingdom from a terrible flood.

Here's where I get a little skittish on the faith thing. I'm generally a sheep. I like to follow. Not to lead. If God had told me to build an ark, I'd have looked around and said, "I'll wait until the others start building theirs." I'd definitely be one of those treading water when the flood came.

Perhaps one of the greatest acts of faith in the Bible is when God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, whom he greatly loved. Abraham's complete faith in God is rewarded when just as he is about to kill his beloved son, God provides another sacrifice in his place and makes Abraham the father of the Israel nation.

I know I'd fail the God test. I would not have the complete faith needed if God told me to kill my daughter as a sacrifice. I would offer myself in her place. That would be the best I could do.

If you own a computer, I'm sure you get your share of emails. I usually read all of the things my friends think are worthy of my time.

I got one the other day that brought tears to my eyes. There were several little stories about the faith people have in each other and in themselves. I'll share just a little with you.

Acts of faith

• This one shows faith in oneself and acting on the faith others had in him: Ten years ago, a man pulled a 14-year-old boy out of his mom's fire-engulfed SUV after a serious crash. Doctors initially said he would never walk again. The man's daughter went with him several times to visit the boy at the hospital. Then she started going on her own. The man saw the boy defy the odds. Now that young man was standing on his own two feet at the altar as the man who saved him watched as the young man placed a ring on his daughter's finger.

• What an amazing faith in oneself this young man had: A daughter believes her dad is the best dad she could ask for. He's a loving husband to her mom (always making her laugh), he's been to every one of her soccer games since she was 5 (she's 17 now), and he provides for his family as a construction foreman. "This morning when I was searching through my dad's toolbox for a pair of pliers, I found a dirty folded-up paper at the bottom. It was an old journal entry in my dad's handwriting dated exactly one month before the day I was born. It reads, 'I am 18 years old, an alcoholic who is failing out of college, a past cutter, and a child abuse victim with a criminal record of auto theft. And next month, 'teen father' will be added to the list. But I swear I will make things right for my little girl. I will be the dad I never had.' And I don't know how he did it, but he did it."

• This one is absolutely beautiful: A doctor operated on a little girl. She needed O negative blood. They didn't have any, but her twin brother had O negative blood. The doctor explained to him that it was a matter of life and death. The boy sat quietly for a moment, and then said goodbye to his parents. The doctor didn't think anything of it until after they took his blood and the little boy asked, "So when will I die?" He thought he was giving his life for hers. The doctor says, "Thankfully, they'll both be fine."

Dream comes true

I came across this story last night. This one's a story about the faith a little girl had that a dream of hers could come true.

Breana Carsey, 11, of Connersville, Indiana, dreamed of having a horse all her own. But she didn't want just any horse. She wanted a broodmare, who would produce a foal that could become a champion harness racehorse.

The Carseys are not horse people, are not wealthy, and they don't have a farm.

"This was a fairy tale for her from day one. We put it off for five years almost, because we don't have a farm," Breana's father, Brian Carsey, told CBS News's Steve Hartman.

But the Carseys went in search of a broodmare, a stable, and a stallion all on a shoestring budget. Breana's father didn't believe for a moment that the foal would be a viable racing prospect, and the training was not in the family's budget. He hoped to sell the foal and recoup a portion of the expenses.

Breana named the foal born in the spring of 2013 MJB (her and her siblings' first initials) Got Faith. Breana's wish had come true. Well, most of it.

Now, the Carseys had a racehorse in training. He was so slow in his initial workouts he barely qualified to make a start. But MJB Got Faith won his debut race. He won his second, his third, and then fourth. He qualified for the Ohio Sire Stakes Championship. MJB Got Faith won the 2015 Ohio Sire Stakes Championship.

A little girl's dream became a reality. The prize? $100,000. Breana donated half of the winnings to charity, and the Carseys are considering using the other half for a down payment on a small farm.

Now that girl has faith that dreams can come true because hers did.

Breana, do you think I should keep the faith that my dream of one day owning my own horse too will come true?