Taking Aim

May 1, 2020

“We make it our aim...to be well pleasing to [Christ].” —II Corinthians 5:9 NKJV

When the opportunity arises, I love to go shooting with my son. Bullseye targets, milk jugs, potatoes... whatever we have on hand can be drafted into service. Matt is far better than I, and his daughter Madeline is beginning to be quite proficient at trap. She even beat her dad last time they went. 

There are a few cardinal rules for handling firearms. Always treat a gun as if it is loaded. Don’t point it at anything you aren’t willing to put a hole in. Know what is behind your target. Keep your finger off the trigger till you are ready to shoot. That’s basic gun safety. But there are other rules beyond those that deal with safety. 

Last fall when hunting, I violated one of the cardinal rules. I got excited when a deer walked in front of me, and instead of taking my time and taking careful aim, it was just “point and shoot.” I missed. And I also missed the four others that were following it. Turns out, there’s a big difference between aiming and point-and-shoot, and it shows in the results. You can go to the bank on it: the novice point-and-shoots, the experienced aims.

Paul is an experienced Christian. He is deliberate and focused. He aims. To be well pleasing to Christ. He doesn’t let circumstances—good or bad—rattle him or take him off his game. He takes aim. His target is to be pleasing to Christ. As an experienced Christian, he practices. He doesn’t show up at the last minute, untrained and unprepared. He has practiced; he knows his tools; he takes into consideration the effect of winds of adversity and doesn’t relax when things are easy. He is at the range every day, praying, studying the Scriptures, worshipping and witnessing—honing his skills so his aim will hit the bulls-eye. He leaves nothing to chance. He wants to go home with the prize.

How often I’ve treated my life with Christ as I have my shooting skills. I practice the safety rules, but when it comes to pleasing Christ, I point-and-shoot instead of taking careful aim. It just won’t do. I may not have the natural skills of my son or even my granddaughter, but I’ve no-one to blame if I don’t practice taking careful aim till it comes naturally. I must line up the sights of Scripture and prayer till they enable me to consistently hit the bulls-eye. Even the best shooter misses, but one thing is sure: if I don’t aim, I won’t hit the target. 

The Good News is, God is even more eager for me to hit that target than I am, and has provided all the tools and even the coaching to help me improve. Even more, he steadies my shaky hands, while the Holy Spirit sharpens my vision so I can see the target clearly. I’m practicing, focusing, so instead of casual point-and-shoot, I can take careful aim at pleasing Christ.