Donna and I are members of the Brevard County Archers Club. We use recurved bows and shoot once a week or so.
I am an expert with rifle and pistol and just learning with bow, but the methods are pretty much the same.
When your aiming point is not exactly dead-center, and you want to hit dead center, you adjust where you aim so that your arrow or bullet ends up where you want it to be. This is called “Kentucky Windage”.
I think we can use this idea when trying to run the good race and keep our eyes on the prize (statements in the B’rit Chadasha/New Covenant for those not that familiar with it) in that we often try to be exactly what God wants us to be, but we miss the bullseye. We forgive someone that did us wrong, then scream at the jerk driving in front of us who won’t make the left turn until there isn’t a car in sight.
We aim for righteousness, but we barely hit somewhere on the target. For me, it’s usually in the 2 or 3 ring- not very close to the bullseye. Once in a blue moon I will hit the mark, I will do what God wants me to do, and I will give Him honor and glory when someone else sees me do what is right in His eyes.
Actually, maybe that’s really once in every two or three blue moons. But, I digress.
What we all need to do is adjust our aiming point so that what we do hits closer and closer to the bullseye. What I mean is, change how we do things when we realize what we are doing isn’t working as we want it to work. When we know that we aren’t doing as God wants, refocus our aim. It’s never that His Ruach (Spirit) is off, it’s that we aren’t listening. So, change your aiming point. If you want to curse less, and it isn’t working, stop trying to curse less and use different curse words, one’s that aren’t offensive. Give up the “F” word and use “Phooey”- it sounds like an F but it isn’t. Use comical words that will lighten your spirit and make others stop what they were saying and ask, “Huh? What did you say?” That way, you help them and yourself.
If you want to forgive and you can’t, change your aiming point. Pray for the person. I have found that when I pray for them, I can’t stay angry. Especially if they don’t know God. How can I do or think anything worse on a person than what will happen to them at Judgement Day when they don’t know God or have Yeshua in their corner? If you stop trying to forgive them, which isn’t working, but you pray for them (use Kentucky Windage) you will find, and I think very quickly, that you’re more compassionate. The Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) will take the lead and, although I won’t guarantee it, I believe you will find sooner than you expect that it is easier to forgive.
If we use Kentucky Windage as we focus on developing our spiritual maturity we will come closer and closer to hitting the bullseye of doing what God wants from us, which is (ultimately) what God wants for us.
