lessons from TOP SHOT

I’ve been watching TOP SHOT all-stars on demand – Through watching the show I am learning (relearning) some good lessons about striving "hitting the mark".  All these great marksmen have a good control over their emotions and attitudes.  It's not that they don't have emotional responses but rather have learned to discipline themselves to not allow the emotional response or mental junk to take their focus off the goal.  Sometimes, however, something does affect their marksmanship (like a mental distraction) and they miss the mark or have a day when they perform far less than they usually do.  Watching these great sportsmen / marksmen at these times and listening to them talk about themselves, their competitors, and the sport has really driven home a very valuable lesson for me.  They learn from their “miss the mark” days.  They acknowledge what pulled them off the mark.  They acknowledge how frustrating and disappointing it is.  They speak of it as lesson.  They speak respectfully of the reality that others will have things that cause them to not perform well.  *most importantly*  In the midst of all that they expect themselves to keep aiming for bulls eye, to keep improving, - they don’t give up even when they are eliminated from the competition; it is then that they just keep practicing and learning and getting better at their sport, and they expect the same and encourage the same from their fellow marksmen. 

WOW!!  Sister Kristi is sort of teaching us similar biblical lessons on this topic on Wednesday nights.

I must say that it has watching the marksmen on TOP SHOT has given me the visual picture I have needed to “encourage myself in the Lord” (as we would say at church), with regard to the goals I set before me.

Yesterday, I had (allowed?) a lot of stuff get in my way, and over and over again “completely missed the target”, but having that visual in my mind about over and over again the marksmen trying to shake off their “stuff” and re-aim, helped me to do the same. 

Yesterdays, victory was NOT about hitting the mark for me (because I didn’t).  It was about when I didn’t even hit the target board, to look up, do my best to shake it off, and aim at the next bulls eye.  I followed the example of the marksmen, and keep refocusing myself.  My victory is that I kept trying, kept adjusting, my performance was not good, but my determination to improve my aim grew.  This morning their isn’t that sense dread that follows a day like I had yesterday.  My attitude is “Okay today is going to be a series “marks” (series of challenges to do well at certain targets/goals), and today I get the opportunity to learn from my previous misses, improve my aim, and improve my focus and RE-focus skills. 

My flesh and my heart may fail butGod is the firm strength of my heart and my portion forever 

I have everything I need 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be My disciples. (John 15:5, 7, 8 HCSB)

.Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.

http://bible.us/72/gal.6.7.hcsb

I press on to hold of that for which Christ Jesus tool hold of me
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... This may need to edited for grammar etc later ....