Sat, Jul 19th - 12:49PM

Shotgun Christianity

   When I was about 10 years old, my dad and I were driving by a large field full of men with guns.  Naturally, I was interested and asked my father what was happening.  He told me it was a “Turkey shoot”, and asked if I wanted to shoot.  I was a little daunted by the crowd and the noise, but I certainly wanted to shoot, and I was afraid to disappoint my dad, so I said yes.

   My dad explained to me that instead of shooting at turkeys, I would be shooting at a target, and if I shot well enough, I would win a turkey.  He also said I would be shooting a shotgun.  I had never used a shotgun before, and didn’t really know what to expect, but from what I could see, it made lots of noise and “recoiled” when it went off, pushing lots of grown men back in their steps.  My dad explained I should lean into the gun and not be afraid.

   I took one shot, and although I didn’t fall down as seen in some movies, I did feel as if I had been punched in the right cheekbone and right shoulder.  It was unpleasant enough that it satisfied my desire to shoot shotguns for awhile.

   Years later, I was being taught to shoot shotguns, and it became important for me to learn the lessons because I was shooting hundreds of times a day, for a full week!  What I had experienced once as a child was multiplied 500 times!  And the most vital information I learned about how to shoot a shotgun was to embrace it and hold it tightly, not flinch away from it!  During that intense week, I learned the difference between a push and a punch, and I did indeed learn to embrace the gun!

   As Christians, we must deal with problems every day.  Some are not pleasant, but all are allowed in our brief lives by God for a reason.  We are faced with 3 options: flinch and back up; try to go around; or trustingly go through.  I believe God’s will is for us to go through, for it’s in the embrace that we conquer.

   Just like Jesus.

John