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Half-Way Smith There was a man whom everyone called Half-Way Smith. The reason people gave him this nickname was because everything he attempted to do he would only get it half-way finished. It seemed something would always come up and prevent him from finishing whatever it was he was working on. Half-Way just never seemed to have any luck at all. If others were earning five dollars an hour, Half-Way would only be able to make two dollars and fifty cents an hour. Nothing ever seemed to work out for Half-Way. Nothing ever worked out for Half-Way, that is, until God, decided to step into Half-Way's life in a strange way. Half-Way became very sick and had to be rushed to the hospital. The physician on duty examined Half-Way and found that he had pneumonia. After diagnosing his condition the doctor said, "Half-Way, you've got double pneumonia and you'll have to stay in bed two or three days. (Even the doctors in this small southern town called him Half-Way Smith. It was one of those nicknames that just stuck with him.) Upon hearing the news Half-Way began to shout, "Double pneumonia! Praise God!" The doctor said, "Half-Way, you've got to calm down! Double pneumonia is very serious and it's nothing to shout about!" "But doctor, you don't understand. All my life I've had to settle for half of everything in life. If other people would get a raise in pay, I would get a cut in pay. For the first time in my life I've got a double portion! Doctor that's something to shout about!" The more the doctor tried to calm Half-Way down, the more he shouted. The doctor had to leave Half-Way's room for a moment, and when he came back, Half-Way was still praising God. The doctor decided to check Half-Way again, and to his amazement, the pneumonia was all gone! The only explanation the doctors could come up with was Half-Way's joy and excitement at having, for the first time in his life, a double something, even though it was pneumonia, triggered something in his body that made him completely well. That something was God. |
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