The local sheriff had decided to tighten the requirements for his deputies. Each man had to qualify on the firing range, and the distance had been extended from 15 yards to 25 yards. So the deputies gathered to try their hand at hitting the target at the increased distance. Each man had 18 seconds to get off 12 shots.
The best shot in the area is also a personal friend, who, the day before the trials had been fitted with his first pair of trifocal glasses. When his time came to shoot, he drew a bead on the target. Suddenly, as he told me later, “I began to perspire. And when I perspire my glasses fog up. There I was with a bead drawn on the target and all I could see was fog. Then I remembered what our old navy instructor had taught us: ‘If (for some reason) you ever lose sight of the target,’ he said, ‘just remember your position.’
“So,” my friend said, “I just held my position and pulled the trigger as fast as I could. By then I had less than 18 seconds, but I got off all 12 shots. When I took off my glasses and wiped them, I had hit the bull’s eye every time.”
There are times when we, for some reason, lose sight of our target—which is to glorify our Lord. The world is too much with us. Tears blur our vision. Unexplained tragedy raises questions that cannot be answered and shakes our faith to its foundations. Then we must remember our position, for the Christian’s position is “in Christ.” As if we were a tired or hurt child, he will gather both us and our load. Though we may not see the target through the fog, if we just “remember our position,” we won’t miss.
While we pray for peace, we need moral clarity about this war.
As my doubts about his teachings grew, so did a secret fascination with Jesus.
Eastern Orthodox poet Scott Cairns reflects on his new collection, his journey of faith, and poetry’s capacity to apprehend inexhaustible realities.
