Live in Love

By Heather Arbuckle –

The news of the day quickly consumed my joy as I cautiously reviewed the headlines.  Corruption, hate, and threats greeted me as I sipped my coffee in astonishment. Truly, the “bad news” was more than I could stand. Though I had vowed to faithfully intercede on my nation’s behalf, praying daily through the headlines, I felt helpless. My heart grew heavy as I shook my head in disbelief at the malice that lay before me. In that moment, God’s glorious creation seemed darker than ever before. My stomach in knots, I shut the lid to my laptop and quietly prayed, “LORD, where has the love gone?” Read more

My Father’s Daughter

By Heather Arbuckle –

I have heard it said that the relationship between a father and his child plow the way for how she will one day perceive God. With remarkable truth, I have seen these words unfold in my own personal father/daughter relationships. Read more

Broken

By Heather Arbuckle –

“It’s broken,” I said glumly as the X-ray revealed a clean break in my daughter Sofie‘s right leg. Though the doctor merely confirmed what I had suspected all along, my heart sank as I stared at the image in front of me.

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Lost and Found

By Heather Arbuckle –

In the midst of one of the coldest winters on record, a new storm was in our local forecast. With a cold front blasting toward us, I was dismayed to hear my son announce his winter coat was missing.  We thoroughly searched every closet and corner of our modest home, yet came up empty-handed.  Neither did we find it at Jack’s taekwondo school, where he spends a significant amount of his time.  And it wasn’t buried among the other misplaced hats, coats, and gloves in the “lost and found” crate at his school. Naturally, I began to believe that Jack’s coat might actually be gone for good and my heart began to fret.  My son, however, took another approach, choosing faith rather than fear. “Don’t worry Mom,” Jack said calmly, “God knows where it is. My coat will turn up.”

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Play to Win

By Heather Arbuckle –

My youngest daughter, Sofie, is a fast and fearless little girl who loves sports. All sports. And like most young athletes, Sofie likes to win. Recently, she and I saw a t-shirt that made us giggle. It said—I play to have fun, but I win anyway.

“That is totally me, Mom!” Sofie laughed.

I smiled at my little athlete and agreed, “You do play to win, sweet girl.”

She was still talking about the shirt as we drove home from our errands and it led us to an interesting conversation about Christ. As she was talking about how much fun it is when her team wins a game, I glanced at her in my rear view mirror and took a moment to plant seeds of truth in my daughter’s young heart.

“Sofie, isn’t it amazing that we have a Savior that also plays to win?” I asked.

“What do you mean, Mom?” she asked.

Now that I had her attention, I stated my case carefully and quickly. She is, after all, only eight years old, and her attention span is short. My window of opportunity was small and fleeting. So, I took my moment and continued, “Christ took our sins to the Cross and conquered death. Through Him, we have victory. Jesus wins!”

A big smile came over my little girl’s face as she listened to my words. “Yep! Jesus wins alright!” She said brightly.

Jesus wins! We are told, “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57 NIV). Unfortunately, many of us forget that simple truth when the game of life appears lost. Still, we must remember things are not as they might seem. As Christ followers, we must not lose heart.

The Cross is our Savior’s reminder that victory lies in Jesus Christ. When all was lost, and we were bound by sin, Christ willfully took our sin to Calvary and declared victory by His sacrifice alone.

That doesn’t mean that things will always turn out the way we want. We live in a sinful world and life’s journey can be treacherous. There are things we will never understand this side of Heaven. We simply are not calling the plays! Still, as believers, we have hope and victory because our Savior plays to win.

Regardless of the fight in which you find yourself. Despite how messy your circumstances appear. No matter how defeated you may feel. All is not lost. For Christ has declared victory in your life.

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (I Corinthians 15:58 NIV).

Indeed, we have victory in Jesus Christ. So, let us lift our hearts and our heads towards our Savior. The game is not over and we are not defeated. Together, with Christ, let’s play to win—and don’t forget to have fun!

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