Mike Roper on Faith, Sobriety and Moving Forward Through Adversity
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ALTON - On a recent episode of “You’re Beautiful” with Brian Trust, Mike Roper spoke about his philosophy on life based on his relationship with God.
Roper shared that he doesn’t regularly go to church, but he grew up in the church and still has a close relationship with God. He explained that he mostly tries to emulate Christ through his interactions with others by being kind.
“At the end of the day, I just try to be a good person,” he said.
Roper believes that he has “some bigger purpose,” and he is “constantly trying to figure out” what that purpose is. He feels he was “spared” by God.
This is why Jeremiah 29:11 — “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” — resonates so strongly with him. Roper isn’t afraid to talk about his past, and he hopes his story helps other people who are going through something similar.
He also pointed to Ephesians 1:7 — “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” — as evidence that God will forgive. Roper believes God’s grace is one of the most beautiful parts of his relationship with Christ.
“It just lets you know that no matter how much you’ve screwed up — and this isn’t the King James version, this is the Mike Roper version — no matter how much you’ve screwed up, you still can,” Roper said. “It’s never like you’ve screwed up so bad that you can’t right the ship. There is forgiveness there.”
Roper enjoys growing his faith by attending a men’s group every week. He tries to build his friendships and relationships with other people on the foundation of his relationship with God.
He noted that while he was “an idiot” for a while, he now tries hard to be a good person and improve himself. He is humbled by God’s forgiveness, and he hopes to share that message of grace with others.
“You can’t make that up, so all I can do now is try to be a better person now every day, and that’s what I do,” Roper said.
Watch or listen to “You’re Beautiful” at 2 p.m. on Thursdays at RiverBender.com/Beautiful.
