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Close…8-22-25

My grandson received an archery bow for Christmas. He wants to compete with his school’s archery team. He is also wanting a hunting bow for deer season. We shall see about that. Today, his mom dropped him off after school. He took out his bow, arrows, “safety equipment”, and target. Time for him to practice, he said! When the target was only 20 feet, he was hitting the target every time. Then, we moved the target to the official distance. It wasn’t as easy to hit the mark. He had to work harder, adjust his pull, aim, stance, and hand tension. He found that he could be successful, but it would take practice and hard work.

You see, this mirrors our lives and especially our walk of faith. Often, we find the targets are easy. We are successful. We think to ourselves, “I have this. No problem.” At other times, the target moves, and we find we struggle to obtain the desired outcome. In easier times, we relax, sit back, and let our guard down. That’s when the devil comes in and attacks. It seems that too quickly, everything moves and we are not prepared. We are not ready for the new target or what we must do. We are not ready for the hard work it will take to succeed. We have to re-focus and seek guidance. Just like my grandson has to practice and be prepared, we must be prepared for changes that will come. 1 Corinthians 16:13, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong"