Ax Throwing and Life
Mar 4, 2021
It sounded like fun! Taking an ax, throwing it at a wooden target, and seeing how it would “stick.”
The target was a large wooden wall, so surely it couldn’t be that difficult.
I knew my athletic limitations going into the outing. (Pretty much, I have zero athletic ability, so that was and is a significant limitation). BUT . . . it was ax throwing, how hard can it be??? A sharp blade aimed at wood. Even the least athletic person should be able to be successful at that!
It also was my first outing with Tom and his family. In a brand new relationship, one typically wants to make a great first impression, so I had a little unconfessed anxiety going into the evening. But it was a gift to Tom from his daughters and the LAST thing I wanted to do was be a spoiled sport. So, excited to go ax throwing, I was!
The first time I threw it, it actually landed on the wood and stuck. I thought, “Hey, this isn’t so bad! It actually has the potential to be fun!”
The second time I threw it, apparently I threw it so hard it ricocheted back and landed close to my feet.
Every. Subsequent. Throw. Missed. The. Mark.
It honestly was probably one of the longest hours I’d experienced in a LONNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG time!
It seemed you were either REALLY GOOD AT IT! Or – – – NOT!
Tom and his daughter Caroline were “neck in neck” for a perfect score, with his son-in-law not close behind. Allison (his other daughter) and I were in a close, close race for last – with zero points!
While it was fun watching a pretty intense competition develop among the leaders, it was quite frustrating continually missing the mark.
After I’d missed it repeatedly, in my mind I gave up. Along with some inner profanity every time I threw the ax, I didn’t want to try anymore.
Missing the mark is frustrating.
And if we aren’t careful, it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy because we get discouraged when we miss, We then try less and less. We don’t believe we can “make it” so we simply stop trying.
The Greek word for sin is hamartia. It literally means “missing the mark.”
And each of us . . . in our lives, we miss the mark. We have sinful things we do and also don’t do. Our thoughts, our actions, the way we live out being people of love. And it does seem that once we miss the mark a few times, we lose the passion to try diligently to keep aiming for where the mark is/needs to be. But we don’t have to “give up.” We have been given the amazing gifts of forgiveness and grace, so there is no need for futility. BUT . . . before we move on to the “it’s all good” part of faith, we must see where we do miss the mark!
As we enter into this next week of Lent, I’d ask each of us to ponder, “Where are we missing the mark?”
Sunday we are going to explore “where the mark is” and give some overarching principles to help keep our aim in line with the message of Christ. But first, let’s do some introspection as we continue to revamp our bios and see where it is we need to be intentional about a directional shift change.
“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
Click below to watch the message relating to this “Musing Meditation.”
“Bio Revamp”
Living Through Life’s Tests
