Hope 4 Today: Staying Connected To God In A Distracted CultureSample

Arms of Forgiveness

“Standing in the middle of the runway with arms outstretched was my father,” Heather Mercer told me over coffee, describing the moment she was reunited with her dad after being imprisoned in Afghanistan. She had been working for a humanitarian agency when the Taliban arrested her and threw her into a rat- and scorpion-infested prison. One of eight hostages rescued in 2001, she had prayed for the day she’d see her father again. God had placed the Afghan people on her heart, and the threat of death didn’t deter her, even though her parents had strongly objected to her going there.

We make decisions every day, pushing known limits of wisdom and risk, and sometimes we make choices that seem to others to be rebellious. Still, God uses our choices to shape our future. The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32) has many lessons, but it’s the father’s open arms that always stand out in the story. Heather’s return to her father’s arms was sweet, but the arms of her heavenly Father held her throughout her prison ordeal. His arms brought hope to her daily. And His arms continue to shape her life today as she leads her own relief agency, Hope for Iraq (hope4iraq.org).

What life choices are you making today? Remember, the Father is still with you and His arms are ever stretched out. Will you fall into them?