Hitting the Bull's-Eye

Last week Keith took our oldest son, Brody, skeet shooting.

Honestly, I was a little stressed out about the idea. Seeing my son hold a 20 gauge shotgun in his hands was a wee bit too daunting for me. It didn't take long for that imaginary movie reel to start playing in my head, displaying frightening full color images of the "what if's" that could happen during what appeared to be a pretty dangerous outing from my point of view.

I almost threw my hands up and shouted "NO WAY"! Instead, I hit the stop button on my "what if" thoughts and reminded myself this was a trip they had been planning for months . Plus, Keith and Brody would be shooting at target posters and clay pigeons at an official shooting range so it wasn't like any blood would be shed. At least, I hoped not.

Keith did a lot of hunting with his dad when he was young. Now it would be Brody's turn for that same rite of passage experience with his dad. Ya know, one of those father-son bonding things.

Here is my precious 16 year old son with a shotgun in his hand. He was SO pumped up!
















Someone is getting feisty. Keith thinks he's Wyatt Earp


















I'm not sure who's more excited about the trip - Keith or Brody?


















They are such great buddies. I just love this picture :)


















Here are their target posters. Keith's is on the left and Brody's is on the right.


















This was Brody's first time shooting a 35 caliber and take a look at the bull's-eye on his target (right). Brody's second shot landed smack dab in the middle of the target! When he walked in the house with the poster in one hand and a big smile plastered on his face, I wasn't sure whether to be excited or a little freaked out. Now, that is what I call precision shooting and where on earth did Brody get such accuracy? The only target practice he's had is on Xbox 360.

It makes me think of the targets in my own life...

The personal goals I'm hoping to achieve.
The adventurous moments I'm waiting to experience.
The pie-in-the-sky dreams I'm longing to fulfill.

I looked up the word bull's-eye in the dictionary and here's the definition:
1. The small central circle of a target
2. A direct hit.
3 . The precise accomplishment of a goal or purpose

What if I could know for sure that I would hit the bull's-eye every time I set a personal goal for myself? What if I could aim my life along a specific course and be guaranteed a direct hit? Or, set out to accomplish something big in my life and have 100% assurance of knowing I'd meet my goal or purpose with complete accuracy?

I often wonder if my own fear of failure or lack of confidence keep me from trying in the first place?

What about you? Have you ever set out to accomplish something in your life but half way through the process you became discouraged and weary? Maybe your target appeared to be moving away from you instead of closer like you had planned. Or, what started out to be an important goal has been reduced in your mind to "not that big of a deal anymore". Maybe you tell yourself, "This is way to hard and it's just not worth it". I know I do.

There are times when I loose confidence in myself or want to just give up on a particular goal I've set. Do you ever feel that way too? When that starts to happen I'm reminded of what I should do next.

Here are a few scripture verses that I've memorized over the years. When I start to feel discouraged or begin to think that I'll never obtain my goal, I pause then shift my focus off of my feelings and onto God's truth. His Word tells me....

Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up, do you not perceive (see) it? Isaiah 43: 18-19

For I am God's workmanship (masterpiece), created in Christ Jesus, to do good works which God has prepared in advance for me to do. Ephesians 2:10

Blessed is the woman who perseveres under trials (difficulty), because when she has stood the test, she will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised. Hebrews 10:35-36

You may be feeling discouraged today. Maybe you don't see any progress in a certain area of your life and it totally frustrates you. I can so relate!

Let's look at the Truth together and not be swayed by our feelings. How about we shift our focus and allow God to remind us that our perseverance will be rewarded and that He is doing a new thing in our lives. That God has hand picked special assignments for us which have been prepared before we were ever born. Let's look for that new thing that He's doing in your lives today.

As for the skeet shooting trip, they had a blast. Now Carson, our 11 year old is begging to go. It's time for this momma to throw up her hands and shout, "NO WAY"!