I WIN!

The past weekend has been a mixed bag. We attended a fine seminar Saturday, enjoyed worship and breakfast with our son and his family Sunday morning. Then Sunday afternoon I fell ill to a nasty cold/flu made all the worse by my team losing their big game. There is, of course, more to life than winning and losing games, and I'm sure I will soon get over this thing and feel better. This morning I am giving thanks we are still alive and God is still active in His world.

Which brings me to another event of the weekend which involved winning that I could not attend. My nephew Eric Niebuhr, age 50 and one of 8 boys in my sister's family, was laid to rest after a 3 year battle with cancer. He knew he was dying so he wrote a few things for his pastor brother Jon to say at his memorial service. The more memorable comment was simply, "I win!"

In a large family of boys you can imagine the competitive spirit, and Eric loved to win. He wrote, "For all of you that I completed against and beat, in sports or shooting pool, or fishing or in anything else, I just wanted you to know one thing: I WIN! I am with Jesus right now and I win."

What a great attitude to have! When you have faith in Jesus, you're a winner. St. Paul said, "In all these thing we are more than winners through Him who loved us.... Nothing will be able to separate from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:37, 39) Eric was the first of my parents' 20 grandchildren to enter eternal life. 

With faith in Jesus, we are all winners. The world says, "He lost his battle with cancer," but the believer knows that in Jesus he wins the Big One, eternal life with God in heaven. 

Whom do you know who's recently won has the Big One? Because of Jesus and His forgiveness and resurrection we all can have it. Christ's resurrection is better than the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, World Series, Master's, Indy 500, Olympic Gold Medal and every other top award imaginable. And it's ours because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross.

May each of us one day be able to say, "I win!"