Target Practice

My dad's an archer, to say the least. There's a monster of an elk jutting out of the specially-built wall of our living room that friends come just to gape at, wondering how exactly it all came down with a flimsy arrow.

Well, I guess skill picks up where necessity leaves of.

Anyways, I was out just walking around when I saw my dad practicing his archery with my little brother. I made my way over there and watched for awhile before a more amusing activity came to mind and I decided to go back in the house.

"Wait," my dad called, "It's your turn."

Great...

Wanting to be polite and loving my dear father for his interest in showing me something he saw joy in, I forced a smile and said, "Alright."

He helped me with the whole process of "sticking it in", "clipping it here", "Lining up", and "adjusting this" before I clumsily took aim.

How many of you can wink? That's great. Well I can't. So this whole aiming thing was a bit of a challenge. As I expected, my arrow 'airballed it' so to speak and flew right on by the target as if crossing the finish line of the loser's race.

By now I was ready to go do something else. But my dad persisted. Getting another arrow, he showed me how to aim with two eyes opened and urged me try again. Forcing another smile, I redid the whole thing, took better aim, and shot.

To my utter astonishment, it hit--and even in the middle. Who woulda thunk?

I thanked my awesome dad and, after trying to help find the lost arrow, scampered back to the house, an insight for this blog in mind :)

It seems that a lot of times God, or our Heavenly Father, offers us tasks or experiences that He sees eventual joy in. Maybe not in the trial and error, but in the successes. I know from my own experiences, as well as those of others, that although we'd much rather be doing something else, if we take up His offer--even with a forced smile--he will encourage us and instruct us through it. Afterall, as one of my favorite scriptures, 2 Nephi 3:7, reads, "I will go and do what the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

So if we listen to him I very well believe we will eventually hit our target--and even in the middle.