I remember, when I was a little girl, my father told me how an archer learns to shoot for the very first time.
When they are first learning to shoot they aim their arrow straight for the bullseye. Not because they will hit it, because most likely they will not. But if they aim for the bullseye there’s a much larger chance that they’ll hit the target, whereas if they only aim for the target it’s less likely they’ll hit it at all.
Such is life.
If we go about our spiritual walk thinking, “Well, what’s the point in trying anyway? I know I’m not going to succeed. There’s no way I could follow all these rules, I’m bound to break at least one.” Then we will have missed the entire purpose of life. Yes, there is no doubt that we will stumble and fall, for we are not perfected yet, and we live in a fallen world. But in the same way that aiming that arrow lazily at the target, knowing you’re probably not going to hit the bullseye, results in lower chances of succeeding at all, so it is with our spiritual walk.
We must aim for the bullseye. We must give it our all, every little effort, withholding nothing. For though we know we may fail we can be confident that in our efforts we will be perfected one day in His love.
I have walked many twisted paths, so have many people. And though I may be only eighteen years old I have had my fair share of pain. And I know, I really do, I know how bitter pain can be, and how utterly distracting.
See, that is the goal of the enemy. He doesn’t want us to succeed. He doesn’t want us to be strong. So he sends us lots of distractions, and we get so caught up in trying to heal ourselves and protect ourselves that we forget that we really don’t have control of our lives.
Sometimes we have to step back and close our eyes and take the first steps onto the water. And we must know in our hearts that The Savior waits for us, his hand stretched out, ready to catch us if we should fall.
And we will fall, we will. We are imperfect creatures birthed to an imperfect world. Yet in our imperfections we may know that by His love we will be made perfect.