I had seen little boys in my neighborhood playing

with fire and gasoline.

And I assumed, if they could do this,

so could I. So on a Saturday morning,

with mom and dad both gone, I walked into the garage,

lit a piece of cardboard on fire,

came over to a five gallon can of gasoline--

the plan was to pour a tiny bit of gasoline

on top of the flame.

NARRATOR: Before the gas left the container,

fumes created a massive explosion,

lifting 9-year-old John O'Leary, and launching

him 20 feet to the other side of the garage.

John was rushed to the emergency room,

where his parents met him.

JOHN: And I looked up at my mom and I said,

mom, am I going to die?

And when I asked the question, I was looking for hope

MOTHER: I knew very quickly what a serious condition this was.

I really feel that it was put on my heart-- and I said John,

do you want to die?

JOHN: She looks me in the eyes firmly and says,

it's your choice, it's not mine.

And I said mama, I do not want to die.

I want to live.

And her response was, good baby, good.

Then look at me.

You take the hand of Jesus.

You walk the journey with him.

NARRATOR: John has been on that path of faith ever since.

Today he's a successful speaker and national best selling

author.

At home, he's husband Beth and father of four children.

He's overcome challenges to live what he calls

a radically inspired life.

JOHN: You know what I mean?

NARRATOR: He says we can all do the same.

And it starts with a decision.

JOHN: This choice of free will that a little boy,

even at age 9, had on himself.

At some point, you've got to choose your path.

NARRATOR: For John, the path wasn't easy.

JOHN: There was no guarantee that I would survive the fire.

I had burns on 100% of my body, 87% were third degree.

I was on a trach.

My lungs had been damaged.

It would have required dozens of surgeries.

It would have required amputation.

What made it endurable was my faith in God,

was the love of my parents, was the community

showing up day after day.

NARRATOR: John made it home after five months

of rehab and surgeries.

It was then that he realized his choice

to live meant being a victor, not a victim.

At his childhood home, he reflects

by this piano where he learned to play Amazing Grace.

JOHN: One of the things that I was actually grateful

for after being burned was, at least

I will never ever have to take another piano lesson again.

The doorbell rang and it was Mrs. Fortello.

She was our piano teacher.

All of a sudden, my mom walks into the room and says,

it's your lesson.

I can't use being burned or not having

fingers as an excuse to not do something

I did before I was burned.

NARRATOR: And just as he learned tenacity from his mother,

he now learns acceptance through his son.

JOHN: My little four-year-old, Jack, was shaving next to me.

I have a real razor, he's got a fake one.

My shirt was off and I saw him staring at my stomach.

My stomach is full of big thick red scars.

And then he started tracking his finger along one of the scars.

And he looks up and says, Dad, your tummy is red, bumpy,

and ridgy, and I love it.

And I love it.

He saw, within me, beauty that I was

unable to see within myself, which is also the lens

that I think Christ sees us all through-- the lens of being

able to see perfection and brokenness.

NARRATOR: John says living a radically inspired life isn't

about freedom from suffering, but seeing pain

with perspective.

JOHN: So although part of my prayer

is to be healed of my scars-- to have fingers grow back--

God has given me these not as evidence of what

I went through, but as a reminder

of how he makes all things new.

NARRATOR: John lives in St. Louis

and travels the country sharing his testimony

and encouraging other to choose their path and own their story.

His book is titled "On Fire-- The seven choices to ignite

a radically inspired life."

JOHN: When you can take the worst

and utilize your faith to let it be transformed into the best,

I think it allows you to use a slogan like "On Fire,"

not for bad but for good.

And so what does a life on fire look like?

It means you are grateful for everything.

It means you show up each day with everything you got.

NARRATOR: And it means faith that ignites a life of purpose.

JOHN: So it's important to recognize

the gift that's in the fire.

Yes, it can burn you.

Yes, it can reduce you to ashes.

But it's also true that it can renew your soul.

It can make you and refine you into a better

version of yourself.

And I have understood now, through Jesus,

through what joy looks like.

And it's not always perfection here on earth.

It's the realization that he is working through this thing

and that our best days are coming.

When you realize that, how can you help but sing,

and how can you help but smile?