It Must Be Your Faith

Mark 11:24

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." - Mark 11:24

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Zach was desperate. Cammie was dying and for the first time in his entire life Zach bowed down his head and prayed. "Dear God, I-I know that I should be the last person on this Earth to ask for your help, but please, I beg you. Don't take her. Not her. Not Cammie. She deserves to live her life more than most people I know. She deserves to graduate, go to college, get married, and have kids. She's so kind, so pure. The world needs more people like her. Without her, I am nothing. If you have to take someone, then take me instead." Zach took a shaky breath. "God, you already took Mia from me, please don't take Cammie too. She's all that I have left in this world. She's the only reason that I kept living." Zach flung his arms out. Silent tears and heart wrenching sobs coming out of his mouth as he yelled out. "Save her! Save her life and I swear, on Mia's life, on Cammie's life, that I will believe. I'll believe in you, that you do care, that you love me, that I matter to you, that Cammie matters to you. I'll pray every single day, and when I doubt you I will step into church, sink to my knees before you, and pray for you to give me the strength to keep holding on. I promise to be the Christian man that Cammie deserves. I promise to spend the rest of life proving to you, but most importantly, to Cammie that I do believe. That I have faith and that I know that everything that has ever happened to me is because you have a greater plan planned for me. You can break my soul, take my life away, beat me, hurt me, kill me, but for the love of all your people, please don't take her." Zach finished quietly.

"You must really love this Cammie person, if you're willing to give up being an atheist for her." Zach quickly stood up and turned to face the person. "Who are you?" Zach asked. A man who looked about in his early thirties was sitting on the first pew, watching Zach intently. He had thick, long, brown hair that reached past his shoulders. His beard covered his entire chin and went up the side of his face, creating his sideburns. What surprised Zach the most was the fact that he was wearing all white. "My name isn't important and you are Zachary Goode." The man replied. "How do you know my name?" Zach demanded as he took a step closer to the strange man. "Do you mean it? What you just promised? To become a Christian if Cammie's life is saved?" He said as Zach's steps haltered. "Of course. I would never promise anything in Mia's or Cammie's name if I didn't mean it." The man simply smiled. "Very well. Good luck, Zachary Goode." He stood and headed towards the door. Zach stared after him in confusion. "Oh and Zachary? Cammie needs you." He said sending a last glance towards Zach's direction before walking out the door, closing it softly after him. His parting words registered in Zach's mind and he bolted out the door, heading towards Cammie's room.

Cammie's parents were outside her room listening closely to what the doctor was saying. "What's going on? Is Cammie... is she... " the words died in Zach's throat. "No." Lorraine told him in wonder. "She's alive." Tears of relief sprung to Zach's eyes. The doctor cleared his throat. "Cammie is really lucky to be alive. It's a miracle, but there are some complications. I'm going to be very blunt. Cammie was clinically dead for five minutes. We lost her heartbeat and we were about to officially pronounce her dead when her heart started to beat again. In those five minutes Cammie's left lung stopped working, and her right lung is struggling to survive. She needs a donor." Silence was all that could be heard as his words were processed by Zach and her parents. "So Cammie needs a new lung because without it..." Richard's words died out. Everyone was able to fill in the blanks. "Precisely." "Take one of mine." Zach blurted out. Everyone stared at him in shock. "We're both O positive. It should work right?" The doctor looked skeptical, "it could, but there is also the possibility that Cammie's body will reject the lung." For the first time in his life, Zach smiled and claimed. "She won't. I have faith."

Twelve hours laters and the procedure was a success. Cammie's body accepted the new organ with ease. Zach asked to be moved into her room, wanting to be there when she opened her eyes. The doctor smiled and promised to send nurses to help him transfer rooms. A few minutes after the doctor left, a knock sounded on the door. Cammie's parents walked in. They stood by Zach's bedside. Richard cleared his throat. "Thank you for saving our Camille." The tension left Zach's body. "Please don't thank me. Sir, ma'am, I love your daughter, more than life itself. I want to be with her and I know I can make her happy. After she flatlined, I ran with no destination in mind and ended up in the hospital's chapel. For the first time in my life I prayed to God and promised him that if he saved her life than I would try my absolute hardest to become the Christian man she deserves. A kind man dressed in white was there and he asked me if I meant what I said. I told him I did. Cammie's my world and I'd do anything for her."

Tears sprung to Lorraine's eyes. "You gave up being an atheist for her?" Zach nodded. Lorraine started to cry and she flung herself at him, crushing him into a bear hug. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. There is no excuse as to why I acted the way I did. I just wanted what's best for my daughter." She pulled away and smiled at Zach. "Now I see that what's best for her is you." "Wait." Richard said. Lorraine's smile faded and Zach's heart dropped. Here it goes Zach thought. "You said there was a man dressed in white with you?" Richard asked in a strange voice. Zach looked at him confused. "Yes, he's the one who asked me if I meant what I told God and then he told me Cammie needed me. Which is why I came back. It was all very strange, but I felt at peace with him." Zach trailed off as he saw Lorraine's eyes widen as she turned to look at her husband and saw Richard's look of disbelief.

Lorraine turned back to look at Zach and the expression on her face will stay with Zach for a really long time. She looked at him the same way he believed she looked at God himself. "Zach, do you know who he is?" Lorraine asked him as tears silently streamed down her face. "No? Am I supposed to?" Zach asked looking between the both of them. Richard smiled at Zach and sat down in the chair by Zach's bed. Lorraine lowered herself on the bed and clasped Richard's hand in hers. "Zach, this may sound insane, but we think you just met God in person." Zach's mouth gaped open in disbelief and he stayed in stunned silence as Lorraine told him the story of God, Mary and Joseph, and Jesus.