"Have a Little Faith" by Mitch Albom

The book, “Have a Little Faith” by Mitch Albom was a wonderful Christmas present given to me by my daughter, Christa. It is a true story relating pieces of the author’s life journey and how he was touched and affected by the stories of two very different friendships.

The first of these two unique men in Mitch Albom’s life was Albert Lewis, an elderly Rabbi from His hometown in New Jersey. He was white, Jewish, and well to do; the only religious leader in Mitch’s life. The second man in the story was Henry Covington, Christian, African-American, and impoverished. He lived near Mitch’s current home in Michigan. He is a Detroit pastor and a reformed drug dealer and convict; who now preaches to the poor and homeless in a decaying church with a hole in its roof.

Although the lives and histories of the two men are so very different, the author comes to realize a striking unity between their two worlds and beliefs.
As written on the sleeve of the book jacket, “Have a Little Faith is a book about a life’s purpose; about losing belief and finding it again; about the divine spark inside us all. It is one man’s journey, but it is everyone’s story”.

We are all traveling a road. Each of us is on a journey. There is a purpose to each of our lives. I do take the time to reflect upon where I have been, where I am, and where I am going. We must be still and know who God is in our lives. Because I DO know who God is, I DO know who I am, and I DO know how He wants me to treat others. God teaches me through His word. How can we grow in Him and learn how He wants us to live if we don’t hear his word. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”
(Romans 10:17).

I would also like to mention another Mitch Albom book which is very worth reading. It is “The Five People You Meet in Heaven”. It shows how we touch or are touched by every one we meet in this, our earthly journey. As we so often say, “It is such a small world”. In this book, five people in heaven find out how their earthly life affected the life of another and they did not even realize it at the time. God weaves the circumstances of our lives and uses us in each others lives. Our good deeds or words of kindness to some one can encourage them and change the direction of their life. The opposite is also true, so try to lift others up, not knock them down. We must do good and give to others, not to be rewarded or complimented, but to do what is right. Do good and forget it! The scriptures say that if we receive our compensation now then we have already been rewarded. When we do good in secret or are not rewarded now, our reward will be eternal. God sees our motives and knows our hearts.