Missing the Mark
By Tracy Smith
“for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans
3:23 (NIV)
In
Wednesday night youth group, we are watching a video curriculum called “Gospel
Journey.” [1] The preacher, Greg
Stier, was discussing the word sin as it applies to archery. In archery, “sin”
was called out whenever an arrow did not hit the bull’s-eye. It means the arrow has “missed the mark.”
When
you look up the word “sin” in the dictionary, it says, “1a : an offense against religious or moral
law b : an action that is or is felt to be highly
reprehensible…c : an often serious shortcoming :
2a : transgression of the law of God b :
a vitiated state of human nature in which the self is estranged from God” [2]
While
that definition is true and accurate, I really like the archery definition, “to
miss the mark.” It is simple and to the point. When we sin, we are missing the
mark - - God’s best plan is for us.
To
follow the archery analogy through, when an archer hears, “sin” he doesn’t just
shrug, give up and walk away. He figures out what he is doing wrong and
continues to try again and again. So it is with us when we sin - - we must not
give up, but repent, pray for forgiveness, and try again.
King
David in the Old Testament is a good example of this. In 2
Samuel 11-12, we read about how David wanted another man’s wife so
badly, he sent that man into war to die!
When confronted by the prophet Nathan, David admits that he sinned against the
Lord. In Psalm
51, we read the depths of David’s repentance and his desire for the Lord’s
forgiveness. Even with this sin in his past, David was called a man after God’s
own heart (Acts
13:22)!
We
all miss the mark but we must not
give up - - we must recognize our mistake, repent, ask the Lord’s forgiveness, and make a change in our lives.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Is there an area in your life where you are
“missing the mark”? Are you willing to repent, pray and try again?
FURTHER READING:
[1] “Gospel Journey,” Dare 2
Share Ministries, 2005
Along
with being a wife and mother to two boys, Tracy is an administrative assistant
at Oakwood, serves on the Women’s Ministry Special Events Team and leads a
great group of Junior High girls.
