In the woods, the first thing the father saw was a
squirrel. He took aim and fired but
missed. Then he saw a rabbit. Once again he aimed and fired but he missed
the rabbit. Now the father only had one
bullet so he prayed, “Lord, I only have one bullet. Please help me to bring food home to my
family.” The Lord’s response to him was,
“Pray, aim, and stay focused.”
Shortly thereafter the man saw a turkey and a deer. He chose to aim for the deer because it would
provide more meat for his family. As the
man took aim he heard a noise near his feet.
He looked down and saw a snake that was ready to attack. Fearing the snake, the man stopped aiming for
the deer and set his aim on the snake.
Just when he was about to shoot the man heard the Lord say, “What did I
tell you?” Deciding to trust in the Lord
the man prayed, aimed at the deer, and took his last shot. Not only did he hit the deer but the same
bullet ended up killing the turkey. On
top of that, the butt of the rifle fell and killed the snake. Finally, to top it all off, the force of the
blast from the last bullet pushed the father backwards into a lake causing fish
to get caught in his pockets.
Pray, aim, and stay focused.
What would have happened if the father would have stayed focused on his
troubles (in this case, the snake) instead of his goal (the deer)? We can relate this story to life where the
snake represents our troubles while the deer represents our goals. Take a moment to think on your life. What has happened when you’ve taken your eyes
off of your goals or dreams and placed them on the hardships and difficulties faced
to reach them? Stop focusing on your
troubles. Instead pray to God to give
you the strength to reach for (i.e. aim) and stay focused on them.
The final outcome may be beyond your expectations.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)
