A few years back, I was introduced to the sport of bowfishing.
I know, like I really needed another excuse to spend money on gear and to get outside.
Of course, I was addicted from the first shot I took at a fish.
However, it really set in when I actually shot my first fish; a small gar in our neighbor’s creek. From that moment on I have been hooked!
Here are 2 lessons I learned as a beginner bowfisherman.
Lesson # 1: You’re not promised a thing, except missing.
I quickly learned that not many things are certain while bowfishing. It’s not a guarantee that you will even see a fish.
When you do see one it might not swim close enough to get a shot on it and the fish themselves can be unpredictable most of the time.
The one thing that is certain: you are going to miss and you will miss a lot.
This transfers over into our daily lives. We will miss what we are aiming at more often than we care to admit.
We will sin and fall short of the glory of God, just as the Bible states.
That is the reason God sent his Son to save us and help us through life’s difficulties and challenges.
In life, just like bowfishing, you have to reel your line in quickly, nock your arrow again, swiftly get back on target and keep shooting.
Yes, it is embarrassing to miss, but, unlike a fish, God is forgiving and willing to give us chance after chance to get it right.
This does not mean God has given us a free pass to sin.
No, it merely means, if we do sin God will forgive us every time.
Lesson #2: Looks are deceiving
While bowfishing you have to remember that the fish is not where it actually appears to be.
There is a saying amongst bowfishermen “when you think your aiming low enough, aim lower.”
This is d
efinitely true I can’t tell you how many times I have shot over the top of a fish but rarely have I shot under a fish.
Refraction of the water makes the fish appear closer to the surface than it truly is. This is why it is so easy to miss.
The same is true with Satan and our sins.
Satan makes sin look different and much more attractive than it really is.
Sin is essentially death in a box wrapped in pretty wrapping paper with a cute bow on top and your name on it.
Sure it looks enticing, it’s got your name on it, and would appear to be fun to open up until the consequences roll around and we witness first hand just how destructive our sins are truly.
I never expected to learn such valuable lessons while bowfishing but I should have known God loves to work in unexpected ways.
Any time spent in God’s amazing creation there are lessons to be learned and memories to be made.
Next time you’re outdoors keep your eyes peeled for what God is to teach you!
Would you like to know the God who created you and this world? Contact me on Instagram @wesleyklittlefield or by using the contact page on this blog and I will gladly walk you through the steps of starting and keeping a relationship with your Creator! God Bless!