Aim And Miss and Aim Again

If you go back to the original language, the word sin means to miss the mark, and the word repentance means to obtain a fresh view. When we repent, we turn towards the Lord, we assess the path that leads towards Him, take into account our own strengths and weaknesses, think about the challenges and the sacrifices required of us if we set out on this path, and then we begin our journey. But because the path is difficult and often shrouded with mists of darkness, and although in our heart of hearts we know we must hold fast to the rod of iron, sometimes however willing the spirit is, the flesh is weak and we end up going off course. We miss the mark. That’s why repentance is so necessary. We need to obtain a fresh view because with every step we take, the path is a little different. We are to walk the gospel path by faith. This means that we can only ever see a small section of the path at a time. So what do we do? We look to the Lord, plot the best course we can using all of our knowledge, all of our faith, all of our imagination. And we’re going to get it wrong most of the time. But all we have to do is take a moment to obtain a fresh view, to repent. The world around us is changing from  moment to moment. We ourselves change from moment to moment. Things that used to matter no longer do. Things we had never imagined previously are now so very important. With every new challenge or blessing, every good thing and bad thing that we choose or that happens to us, all of these things change the rules of the game. They alter our perception of the landscape. We see a little more clearly or a little more dimly. But every time we repent, every time we take a moment to obtain that fresh view of the Lord and our standing with Him, we can plot a new course. And when we miss the mark we can get another fresh view and plot a new course. Look, sometimes we plan on going straight only to find ourselves at a fork in the road, and sometimes we choose the right path and sometimes we choose the left path, and sometimes we get it right and sometimes we get it wrong, but as long as we take the time to get a fresh view, to repent, then we can always point ourselves towards the Lord and take one step closer.