How often do I totally miss the spiritual significance? Often! Wednesday at the shooting activity I knew it was going to be a good experience, but I didn't realize it would have so many spiritual lessons to be learned.
Beginning right at the beginning, with D.C. coming. Not called to be there, not even asked, but seeing a need, and stepping up to help and offer assistance, totally being a Christian in word and deed. Thanks for your example of Charity D!
After waiting for the girls at the church, and some of them deciding not to come, but we waited more than 20 minutes for them to show, we arrived at the range only to find that I had left the ammunition on the kitchen counter. In my feebleness (defined as pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness), I was grateful that someone from the range had left ammunition there at the range, and we were able to use someone else's ammunition to shoot. See the parallel with the oil in my lamp at the feast of the bridegroom? I was given total mercy and allowed to go on the preparedness/oil/ammunition of another. I realize that will not always be the case, and I don't want to be caught unprepared again!
The Range Officers gave us a lesson about safety right off. Some weren't there, still waiting for one young woman. They expressed concern, and held off the class to begin, wanting all to be present, saying "We can't begin until all are present." They were willing to wait for all to get there, so that all could be safe because the errors of one could mean the safety of the entire group. Do I take the time to care about others and make sure they are there and safe? Am I willing to make personal sacrifices to make this so?
Rule #1: ALWAYS keep the end of the gun pointed in a safe direction. Safe directions include: up to heaven, or down range i.e. always along the path of eternal life! At all costs, keep pointed in a safe direction! Don't veer to the right or to the left! Don't pull to the right, don't talk to your friend, take a phone call, even take your focus for one minute off the direction of the gun while you have it in your hands! When you are up to the line, hold on to the weapon, and keep it in a safe direction. Life: When do I have the loaded weapon in my hand? Always! When can I put the weapon down, and step away from the line, waiting until the range is "Not HOT" so I can be safe? I don't think this happens much in real life! In life, we are always armed with a real gun, and we must pay attention to the direction of the weapon!
Aligning the sights I think was one of two most significant to me. They drew something like this on the back of a paper.
Interesting that they drew it, why didn't they have it printed, they drew a similar picture, unique to the sights of the guns we used each day. They can't print a copy of what the sight will look like because EVERY SIGHT is different! Every gun/life looks different, and the "sight picture" (their term) looks different for every gun. Wow! My sight picture sure looks different than others around me! I am a daughter of Heaven Parents and they love me, they know that my sight picture is different than others, and that is the way it is supposed to be! What is important is that I know how to ALIGN the sight picture! Wow! Wow!
How to align the sight picture. The lines on the two sides are the front sight. They are closer to my eye. The gentleman put the paper down, and explains clearly, looking right at us, "You can't focus on all three things at the same time! There are three things in this picture that you must align with each other, but you will NOT BE ABLE to focus on all three, you have to choose which one to focus on. Your vision will be 'fuzzy' on the other two sight pieces, choose to focus on this one (pointing to the lower circle)". He went on to explain that the top of the lower circle and the bottom of the circle on the target must be "touching each other" not "over the top of!" Eternal life and our goals to reach that destination can not be over the top of our focus, they must be just above our focus, and our focus must be... Jesus Christ! He is the one that we must focus on, bring into clear vision, align all the other parts with. Any deviation, even the slightest maladjustment would mean that when extended out to the distance of the target, 50 feet, would mean big changes in the direction of our target. The goal is to be able to align the sights so accurately that we can extend that target out further and further, and still keep our sights aligned. Then we will be doing the Lord's will in the moments of our lives, then we will be aligned. With much practice, and effort, we can increase our unique, personal, ability to be "On Target" and hit the desired goal. Wow! Align the sights. Where am I focusing right now, this minute? Do I have all three pieces of the sight aligned? Am I hitting the target? Wow! Not covering the image of the end goal, not over the top of, but just to the lower edge of it so that my life, my efforts, my bullet will land in the desired location. Thus the need for constant analysis of Good, Better, Best (Thanks Elder Oaks - linked here!)
Align the pieces carefully, and keep the ball at the end of the weapon, The Savior, clear! Quoting the Range Safety Officer (RSO): "Don't worry that the other pieces aren't clear. Don't be distraught that they aren't clear in your picture, just focus on that, and align the pieces, and proceed." Just focus there. What priorities should I be focusing on? My Savior and my family! If my family, my personal spirituality, my personal goals are the line across the middle of the page, they give my gun/life direction, they steer me in the direction, and because my life is POINTED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION the direction of eternal life. I am headed in the right direction, just focus on the center circle, the Savior! Focus, make HIM clear. Align all the pieces up with that little seemingly floating ball on the end of the firearm of life. The further out there, the further away from my own selfish, personal wants the better aim I will have! Shooting with a short gun is much more difficult. It is harder and not as stable. I don't want to hold a hand gun. I can hold a long barrel rifle of life, and keep focusing on the Savior! This is safer. So many in our world think they are qualified, prepared, and must hold a hand gun. Are they truly skilled at aligning the sights? Have they given the time to practice so that their aim will be accurate, and hit the mark? If we compare the barrels of the guns as the amount of charity a person has, then the Savior said we should always shoot with a long barrel, and that in fact, the longer the barrel, the more accurate our shot will be! I get it! I do want my barrel to be long. Too many in our world hold a selfish handgun, not caring about the effectiveness of their shot, but rather anxious to get the shot off!
Focus on the end ball!
We had a great practice! We were able to shoot two separate rounds of about 10 shots. Some were good shots, they were able to align the sights and hit the target. Some missed the entire cardboard stand! Their shots where landing in the dirt hundreds of feet behind the target, but they missed the entire target assembly!
At the end we had a significant discussion about personal safety and the use of firearms. The discussion was somewhat heated, not for or against anyone, but just a emphasis that this was important and our ability to shoot, and hit may determine our safety and the safety of those around us. Some in the discussion suggested that hard times in our world may require that we defend ourselves, and questioned how to best prepare. Of course the answers given were to have the firearms, and to KNOW HOW TO USE THEM! Do we have the scriptures? Do we have the Savior as the focus in our life? Do we use them properly?!
The discussion was rather blunt, and progressed to discuss when to use firearms and when not to. D.C. stepped up and powerfully stated (paraphrasing) "In the end, you have to make the decision well in advance of where the line is. Where is that line that once crossed you are willing to defend?" The discussion continued, that once you decide, and pull a firearm, you must use it. I questioned D.C. so where have you personally drawn that line? D.C. responded immediately that he had decided that when a person enters his home unwelcomed, he doesn't care what his intentions are, he is going down! D is an excellent shot! He was invited to participate in the President's Circle (something about top 100 shooters in the country!) this summer! I would not question his ability to immediately take them down! I was impressed at his conviction of knowing well in advance where his line is. We teach the youth all the time to draw the line with regards to issues of morality. To decide well in advance, what is acceptable, and what is not! This leads perfectly into our Standard's night next week! Draw the line, and be prepared to defend it!
The depth of the messages in that one evening! I am in awe at the majesty of my Heavenly Father. He tries to send us the message. He tries hard! I am trying to get it! Thanks Father for your patience with me!
Beginning right at the beginning, with D.C. coming. Not called to be there, not even asked, but seeing a need, and stepping up to help and offer assistance, totally being a Christian in word and deed. Thanks for your example of Charity D!
After waiting for the girls at the church, and some of them deciding not to come, but we waited more than 20 minutes for them to show, we arrived at the range only to find that I had left the ammunition on the kitchen counter. In my feebleness (defined as pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness), I was grateful that someone from the range had left ammunition there at the range, and we were able to use someone else's ammunition to shoot. See the parallel with the oil in my lamp at the feast of the bridegroom? I was given total mercy and allowed to go on the preparedness/oil/ammunition of another. I realize that will not always be the case, and I don't want to be caught unprepared again!
The Range Officers gave us a lesson about safety right off. Some weren't there, still waiting for one young woman. They expressed concern, and held off the class to begin, wanting all to be present, saying "We can't begin until all are present." They were willing to wait for all to get there, so that all could be safe because the errors of one could mean the safety of the entire group. Do I take the time to care about others and make sure they are there and safe? Am I willing to make personal sacrifices to make this so?
Rule #1: ALWAYS keep the end of the gun pointed in a safe direction. Safe directions include: up to heaven, or down range i.e. always along the path of eternal life! At all costs, keep pointed in a safe direction! Don't veer to the right or to the left! Don't pull to the right, don't talk to your friend, take a phone call, even take your focus for one minute off the direction of the gun while you have it in your hands! When you are up to the line, hold on to the weapon, and keep it in a safe direction. Life: When do I have the loaded weapon in my hand? Always! When can I put the weapon down, and step away from the line, waiting until the range is "Not HOT" so I can be safe? I don't think this happens much in real life! In life, we are always armed with a real gun, and we must pay attention to the direction of the weapon!
Aligning the sights I think was one of two most significant to me. They drew something like this on the back of a paper.
Interesting that they drew it, why didn't they have it printed, they drew a similar picture, unique to the sights of the guns we used each day. They can't print a copy of what the sight will look like because EVERY SIGHT is different! Every gun/life looks different, and the "sight picture" (their term) looks different for every gun. Wow! My sight picture sure looks different than others around me! I am a daughter of Heaven Parents and they love me, they know that my sight picture is different than others, and that is the way it is supposed to be! What is important is that I know how to ALIGN the sight picture! Wow! Wow!How to align the sight picture. The lines on the two sides are the front sight. They are closer to my eye. The gentleman put the paper down, and explains clearly, looking right at us, "You can't focus on all three things at the same time! There are three things in this picture that you must align with each other, but you will NOT BE ABLE to focus on all three, you have to choose which one to focus on. Your vision will be 'fuzzy' on the other two sight pieces, choose to focus on this one (pointing to the lower circle)". He went on to explain that the top of the lower circle and the bottom of the circle on the target must be "touching each other" not "over the top of!" Eternal life and our goals to reach that destination can not be over the top of our focus, they must be just above our focus, and our focus must be... Jesus Christ! He is the one that we must focus on, bring into clear vision, align all the other parts with. Any deviation, even the slightest maladjustment would mean that when extended out to the distance of the target, 50 feet, would mean big changes in the direction of our target. The goal is to be able to align the sights so accurately that we can extend that target out further and further, and still keep our sights aligned. Then we will be doing the Lord's will in the moments of our lives, then we will be aligned. With much practice, and effort, we can increase our unique, personal, ability to be "On Target" and hit the desired goal. Wow! Align the sights. Where am I focusing right now, this minute? Do I have all three pieces of the sight aligned? Am I hitting the target? Wow! Not covering the image of the end goal, not over the top of, but just to the lower edge of it so that my life, my efforts, my bullet will land in the desired location. Thus the need for constant analysis of Good, Better, Best (Thanks Elder Oaks - linked here!)
Align the pieces carefully, and keep the ball at the end of the weapon, The Savior, clear! Quoting the Range Safety Officer (RSO): "Don't worry that the other pieces aren't clear. Don't be distraught that they aren't clear in your picture, just focus on that, and align the pieces, and proceed." Just focus there. What priorities should I be focusing on? My Savior and my family! If my family, my personal spirituality, my personal goals are the line across the middle of the page, they give my gun/life direction, they steer me in the direction, and because my life is POINTED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION the direction of eternal life. I am headed in the right direction, just focus on the center circle, the Savior! Focus, make HIM clear. Align all the pieces up with that little seemingly floating ball on the end of the firearm of life. The further out there, the further away from my own selfish, personal wants the better aim I will have! Shooting with a short gun is much more difficult. It is harder and not as stable. I don't want to hold a hand gun. I can hold a long barrel rifle of life, and keep focusing on the Savior! This is safer. So many in our world think they are qualified, prepared, and must hold a hand gun. Are they truly skilled at aligning the sights? Have they given the time to practice so that their aim will be accurate, and hit the mark? If we compare the barrels of the guns as the amount of charity a person has, then the Savior said we should always shoot with a long barrel, and that in fact, the longer the barrel, the more accurate our shot will be! I get it! I do want my barrel to be long. Too many in our world hold a selfish handgun, not caring about the effectiveness of their shot, but rather anxious to get the shot off!
Focus on the end ball!
We had a great practice! We were able to shoot two separate rounds of about 10 shots. Some were good shots, they were able to align the sights and hit the target. Some missed the entire cardboard stand! Their shots where landing in the dirt hundreds of feet behind the target, but they missed the entire target assembly!
At the end we had a significant discussion about personal safety and the use of firearms. The discussion was somewhat heated, not for or against anyone, but just a emphasis that this was important and our ability to shoot, and hit may determine our safety and the safety of those around us. Some in the discussion suggested that hard times in our world may require that we defend ourselves, and questioned how to best prepare. Of course the answers given were to have the firearms, and to KNOW HOW TO USE THEM! Do we have the scriptures? Do we have the Savior as the focus in our life? Do we use them properly?!
The discussion was rather blunt, and progressed to discuss when to use firearms and when not to. D.C. stepped up and powerfully stated (paraphrasing) "In the end, you have to make the decision well in advance of where the line is. Where is that line that once crossed you are willing to defend?" The discussion continued, that once you decide, and pull a firearm, you must use it. I questioned D.C. so where have you personally drawn that line? D.C. responded immediately that he had decided that when a person enters his home unwelcomed, he doesn't care what his intentions are, he is going down! D is an excellent shot! He was invited to participate in the President's Circle (something about top 100 shooters in the country!) this summer! I would not question his ability to immediately take them down! I was impressed at his conviction of knowing well in advance where his line is. We teach the youth all the time to draw the line with regards to issues of morality. To decide well in advance, what is acceptable, and what is not! This leads perfectly into our Standard's night next week! Draw the line, and be prepared to defend it!
The depth of the messages in that one evening! I am in awe at the majesty of my Heavenly Father. He tries to send us the message. He tries hard! I am trying to get it! Thanks Father for your patience with me!