I remember back in Boy Scouts when I joined the rifle club and learned how to shoot targets. It might seem pretty simple–just aim, pull the trigger, and hope you hit the bulls-eye. But if we wanted decent scores, we had to learn how to position ourselves, hold the rifle right, and control our movements.
It was the same with archery. Earning the merit badge required a lot more than just pulling back on the bow and letting the arrows fly. It involved technique and practice.
To succeed in archery or marksmanship, we had to discipline ourselves.
How you hold your body matters. In the rifle club, we started in the prone position (lying down), and as we achieved certain target goals, we advanced to increasingly difficult postures: sitting, kneeling, and standing.
You don’t want the rifle to move when you’re shooting, so you have to develop your ability to keep still. It’s not too bad lying down, but it’s hard to remain motionless in the standing position. If you want high scores, though, you don’t have a choice!
In archery, we practiced only the standing position, but that, too, was tough. When you pull back on the bow, you feel the resistance and you just start shaking. It takes strength to keep yourself stable. And it takes time to develop self-control.
We were even taught not to pull the trigger. “Don’t pull the trigger; squeeze!” The instructors told us that a thousand times! And it made a difference! You want a smooth, steady motion. Pulling the trigger is a jerky movement which throws the rifle out of position. But with a gentle, patient touch, you get off better shots and achieve better scores.
We were even taught how to breath. We became aware of just how much our bodies moved as we inhaled and exhaled. We tried to reduce the variance so that, again, we might be as still as possible.
Whether you use bows or rifles, if you want to succeed at target shooting, you need to control your body. You have to discover how it moves and functions and assume authority over those processes.
I believe this principle also applies to your spiritual life.
“But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” – Hebrews 5:14
This verse seems to claim that your physical senses can be trained to recognize moral virtues and vices. I didn’t see how this could be until I came across this quote from psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi:
“Everything the body can do is potentially enjoyable. Yet many people ignore this capacity, and use their physical equipment as little as possible, leaving its ability to provide flow unexploited. When left undeveloped, the senses give us chaotic information: an untrained body moves in random and clumsy ways, an insensitive eye presents ugly or uninteresting sights, the unmusical ear mainly hears jarring noises, the coarse palate knows only insipid tastes.”
When you train your senses, you become more fluid in your movements, more sure of your hunches, and more decisive in your decisions. You open up to greater beauty in the world, unimagined possibilities, and meaningful accomplishments.
According to Albert Einstein, “the basic laws of the universe are simple, but because our senses are limited, we can’t grasp them. There is a pattern in creation.”
God trains you so that you can discover, enjoy, and function according to His ways. Without discipline, you end up facing the dark side of life, alone and unsupported. But the choice is yours; God will honor your decision.
“With the kind You show Yourself kind; with the blameless You show Yourself blameless; with the pure You show Yourself pure, and with the crooked You show Yourself astute.” – Psalm 18:25-26
“To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.” – Titus 1:15
What are you aiming for this year? Selfishness or genuine spiritual growth? Don’t be surprised if you find Jesus directing you to care for the health of your body and your mind. You’ll see that these can make a spiritual difference and will help you fulfill God’s will.
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:23
“Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” – 3 John 2
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