Perseverance

My journey with the bow.

A deep connection with an arrow.

That therapeutic feel that comes when pulling back on a string.

My First Bow

I started archery back in 2014. I can remember buying my first bow, a takedown recurve. The joy that came from taking that first shot is something I can’t put into words. From that day on I shot. I added a longbow to my collection and would switch between the two. As often as I could, I shot. Hours at a time. I was not the best by any means, but I kept practicing.

Sadly, my recurve was retired because I didn’t take proper care of it and left the sting on for too long while it was not being used. Only being self taught I wasn’t aware of the damage I was causing by doing that. Lesson learned! Always unstring your bow if not being used!

For years I practiced.

Then, I slowed down. Hours of shooting became just a few. All day in that field turned into a brief moment. There one minute, gone the next.

Less and less…until I stopped. 2020, 2021…I can’t remember the year. It may not seem like a long time ago, but it certainly feels like it to me.

In the last few years I barely shot. In 2024 my bow wasn’t picked up, not once, to be strung and loaded with an arrow. It sat idle, its limp string begging to be joined to a knock. Its limbs creaked in desperation, calling…wondering… “Shall I ever be used again?”

The desire to shoot was dimming, fading away. I became lazy, and came up with any excuse to not pick up my bow. 

Then, something sparked in me. Just this year the desire to shoot flared up. I was determined to pull by bow from the lonesome pit I had placed him in. Determined to practice as much as I could. Determined to stick with it. Determined to persevere.

The studying of different archery styles and technique played a key role in that fire being reignited in me. Video after video of a shooting style known as thumb draw, or Asiatic shooting, flashed before my eyes. An incredible art and a military tactic that was used in the East on horseback. I was fascinated by it.

My longbow was strung, a new target was purchased. My shooting spot even changed. A new beginning flourished. A new excitement bloomed.

But…

I was terrible! The struggle to get back into archery is real, and I experienced it first hand. But even though I missed and missed and missed, even grumbling more than once that I’m going to give it all up, I chose to stay.

My Second Bow

Another bow was added to my collection, and he has been a pure joy to shoot. Trying a new thing was daunting, but I did it.

Archery is one thing I never want to lose again.

And God…how He has used it to teach me so much. He never wants us to quit. He never wants us to become lazy. When that arrow is knocked and ready to go, you can’t put down that bow. The limbs have to be pulled back and that arrow released into freedom in order to reach its goal. And even if you miss, you get back up and try again. 

My Third Bow

I have struggled with personal situations over the past year and a half. But God has come alongside me and whispered, “Don’t give up. Persevere.”

An archer has to keep shooting.

We as Christians have to keep running this race until it is finished.

At the end…when that last arrow is shot, when the race is done…we’ll see Jesus face to face.

Persevere! No matter what you’re going through, don’t stop. With God, you will come out on top.

I am excited to continue this journey, not only as an archer regaining her footing, but as a child of God.