Pick a Spot

Imagine what the game of bowling would be like if you couldn’t see the pins you were trying to hit. In 1933, Bill Knox did just that and bowled a perfect game. In Philadelphia’s Olney Alleys, Bill had a screen placed just above the foul line to obscure his view of the lane. His purpose was to demonstrate the technique of spot bowling, which involves throwing the ball at a selected floor mark on the near end of the lane. Like many bowlers, Bill knew that you could do better if you aim at a mark close to you that’s in line with the pins. He proved his point with a perfect 300 game of 12 strikes in a row.

Spot bowling illustrates part of a wise approach to life. When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about the return of Christ, he reminded them that the ultimate goal of their salvation was to “be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul taught them to focus their eyes on near actions that were in line with that goal. He urged them to comfort one another, help the weak, warn the wayward, pray without ceasing, and rejoice always. Then he added that we must do this in the power of Christ who is working in us. Read the text below:

And remember to live peaceably with each other. Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to everyone else. Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Keep away from every kind of evil. Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God, who calls you, is faithful; he will do this. (1 Thessalonians 5:13-24 NLV).

I like to hunt. A part of the preparation for each year is assuring that my rifle is still “sighted in.” In order to do this, I always take it to the shooting range and fire several rounds to check the sights. Even then, it is also a good practice to rehearse good shooting habits. One of those is to “pick a spot” on the target. Especially when shooting large game, it is easy to lose sight of the goal while looking at the immensity of the target. Life can be that way. In Alice in Wonderland, when Alice comes to a junction in the road that leads in different directions, she asks the Cheshire Cat, “Cheshire-Puss, would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to go to,” said the Cat. “I don’t much care where,” replied Alice. “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”

If you have no goal, it really doesn’t matter which way you go! Listen tot he goals Paul sets before us again: always be joyful, keep on praying, always be thankful, hold on to what is good, and keep away from evil. Those are targets worth aiming at in our lives! Then only one thing remains. Get going! Will Rogers said, “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you don’t start moving.”