Since I was a kid, I have always had a fascination for archery due to fictional characters such as Disney's Robin Hood and Legolas in The Lord of the Rings. There was something about aiming and firing an arrow that was awesome, especially when it was a flaming arrow. This past summer, I have been taking an archery class through Biola University and have greatly enjoyed my time there from the professor and TA to the classmates involved. It takes a large amount of practice but the pay off is great when your arrow hits a bullseye consistently. This past week, we as a class were required to write a paper on archery and the spiritual connections and my mother directed me to a small booklet. The booklet contained an article written by Dennis Rainey on archery and how different parts of an arrow represent areas in child raising. While the booklet dated back to the early 1990's, it had valuable information on the parallels between the two subjects that I personally wanted to talk about in regards to my thoughts about it.
1. The Arrow's Shaft — Identity
The shaft is the body of the arrow in between the point and the knock (we'll get to that in a moment). The shaft represents identity of a child. If a child’s direction and self-concept is warped and not straight, then it goes on a different direction as an archer’s bow would when aiming. Parents are encouraged and commanded to raise their kids into God-fearing men and women as they grow. Throughout my life, my parents did their absolute best to make sure my life was on point with God's plan, wherever the path led. Straight as an arrow (no pun intended). This is not to say that they are perfect, but like the shaft of an arrow, they have to be going straight when following God.
2. The Arrow's Fletching — Character
The second part of an arrow is the feathers, otherwise known as the fletching. Similar to the shaft representing identity, the fletching represents the child of a character. While many may not see it’s significant importance like the fletching, it plays a vital role on who the child will become in his heart. Growing up, I was good at a number of things from singing to dancing to performance and much more. Yet, I struggled a lot with character and my parents did the best they could to push me in the right direction. While it did take a while for that character to develop in high school and even in college, it paid off well and continues to grow as I enter more and more into adulthood. Throughout the scriptures, character is greatly talked about and is noticed by God. If the character is off point, then like an arrow, it will go off course.
3. The Arrow's Knock — Relationship
The next is the knock. The knock represents relationships, for the arrow and bow cannot function without the knock. The bow guides and points the arrow where it wants to go, but without the knock, it can’t do anything. The same applies to parents. They can only do so much in guiding children where they need to go, but without a relationship, they will only get so far let alone anywhere in general. For me personally, a big reason why I have gone in the direction I have has been due to the love and guidance of my parents. Without the solid relationship I had with them, I believe I would have been more rebellious and carefree about life and responsibilities. I have witnessed a number of friend's relationships with their parents fail all because of the lack of relationship and communication building. The relationship builds trust, assurance, patience, as does archery when aiming down the sight for a bullseye.
4. The Arrow's Point — Mission
The final part is the point. The point represents the mission as it reminds us of the final essential quality to craft and raise children. Parents are required to guide and give their children a reason for life and achieving the works of God. When they have that focus let alone belief, they will thrive and hit their target. Whenever I was at my all-time low, even as an adult during my college years, my parents were always there to direct me back and remind me of God's mission, even if I heard it for the 101th time.
Archery has been around for centuries and so has parenting and the raising of children. They both require skill, experience, practice, and above all, patience. The same way that archers will miss their targets – whether by a lot or a little – parents will miss when it comes to raising children. But that does not mean they failed, as they try daily to raise their child or children upright as God-fearing Christians.
