Making a Mark

Sin has been defined as “missing the mark.” It’s a phrase from archery. You’re aiming at one thing, but you hit another. I have never encountered a bow hunter or archer who didn’t carefully aim at what they were shooting at. But if you’ve ever shot a bow, you know that you miss it more than you hit it. You might hit the target. It might be “close enough.” But it’s rarely a bulls-eye.

Have you ever heard someone say that they want to leave a mark on the world before they die? What they mean is that they want to affect the world in some way. To leave behind something of them that is positive. To know they have left at least their part of the world a better place.

God has created each of us with a mark of our own. That way for us to positively affect the world and leave it a better place. Each of us has a specific mark to leave. Only the individual can leave their particular mark on the world. Sadly, many people live and die without leaving their mark. They might have done things—good or bad—that made an impression. But their “mark” was never left. Their God-given destiny that only they could do. They missed their mark. They sinned.

What is your mark? Are you living your life now in such a way that will leave that mark? You see, our goal should not be to leave a mark, but my mark. I can do good things and still not do that which I was created for. But that misses the mark. God has designed each of us in such a way to affect the world like no one else can. Our ultimate goal is to be who God has created us to be—nothing more or less. Being or doing anything else is missing that mark, and, therefore, sin.

This completely gets rid of any comparisons between us and others. Our mark is very personal and specific to us. It seems that a lot of people (especially pastors) suffer from “mark envy.” They see the contribution of others and wish they could do the same. Or they boast about how “my mark is bigger than your mark.” But that just proves that our sights are off. Instead of having in mind what God wants, we have in mind what we want. Hmm…that sounds familiar. Look up Matthew 16:23 and see what Jesus has to say about that.

In the movie The Patriot, Benjamin Martin, played by Mel Gibson, taught his children a little phrase to help them learn to shoot a gun. “Aim small, miss small.” What that means is, instead of aiming for the whole target, aim for a small spot on the target. The more precisely you aim, the more apt you are to hit closer to it. Sometimes our sights can be off, causing us to miss our mark. I know from experience that this leads to just one thing…frustration. When you realize that your sights are off, you have to adjust them before you take another shot.

So I guess my question is, “Are your sights hitting the mark, or are they in need of adjustment?” Does your life reflect how God has created you? Are you working toward leaving your mark on the world?