“The bow ends up perfecting the archer”
Our church had a PowerPoint party this week during which each member was tasked with creating a short PowerPoint presentation about something they were passionate about, something that brought them joy.
One of our men did his on the history of archery around the world and ended his presentation educating us all on the later forms of Japanese archery being used less and less for war or combat and more as a spiritual meditation and discipline.
He explained how in becoming less concerned about outside factors like simply “hitting the target” and instead concentrating on the technique and form of each step and movement of the shooting process, the archer was able to focus their mind and quiet their soul.
“In that sense,” he explained, “the bow ends up perfecting the archer.”
I could expound for hours on how listening and watching each of our members thoughtfully express the details of their passions and joys deepened not just my knowledge and love of them, but also my knowledge and love of God. But this quote, in particular, grabbed my attention and settled over my heart in a way that only happens when a moving of the Spirit really clicks and finds solidification within the depths of my soul.
In so many ways, over the last several months, this church has been my bow.