The Arrow

The arrow has become a meaningful symbol to me.  I’m not exactly sure how it all began.  It was my niece, Brittany and her husband Brady, who offered to design t-shirts for all of Sarah’s supporters to purchase as a fund raiser.  They came up with the Sarah Strong t-shirt which featured her name, Jeremiah 29:11, and an arrow.  We never gave them any direction, other than discussing the importance of the promise of Jeremiah 29:11 to us through her battle.  When Sarah saw the design with the arrow, she loved it.  We never talked about why.  She was a freshman in high school at the time and was really developing her own style and aesthetic preferences.  Over time I guess my brain has really started to connect the promise of Jeremiah 29:11 with the symbol of the arrow. 

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

It may seem strange to claim that promise for a person who has died from cancer, but I still do.  I firmly believe that death was the door that promoted Sarah to a higher purpose.

We sometimes forget that we were made to be immortal.  We think that our lives are a like a timeline-with a start and finish.  We usually get our 70-80 years here on earth to accomplish our dreams, fulfill our purpose, and then when we die.  We have an eternity to rest.   Some may even have the misconception that heaven will be boring.  The more I learn about heaven, the more I learn that it will be quite the opposite.  Maybe, once we arrive, we finally start living.  Since God didn’t plan for death to be a part of our life, we can look at Genesis to see that before there was sin, Adam and Eve were quite busy.  It wasn’t a bad or stressful busy, like we’ve fallen into in today’s culture.  God clearly makes each of us with unique gifts and abilities and it’s up to us to develop those as we grow, but sometimes we let things get in the way of fulfilling who were really meant to be.  What if in heaven we get to finally experience perfection in those unique abilities that God gave us?  Most of us have experienced seeing an artist or a musician create something that completely amazes us.  Personally, when I experience that, I give credit to God for creating that inside of them-for giving them that natural ability.  When that person creates, it can become an act of worship, as it points others to the ultimate Creator.  There’s something inside each of us that is unique and when we do it, it glorifies our Creator.  You see, you are His masterpiece.  We might not be a perfect work of art just yet, but we will be in heaven. 

So, back to the arrow.  For me, the arrow is a better symbol of the timeline of our life.    Our life on earth ends because of death, but the “head” of the arrow points us to eternity, with the tip pointing straight to our creator.  Our soul and all that we are truly intended to be will be revealed and we will finally be made complete.  If you are a believer, you will finally “hit the mark” with all of your dreams and ambitions and in doing so, you will glorify and worship The Creator.  We have so much to look forward too! Not to say that how we live here doesn’t matter, because it really does.  It sets the direction for our arrow to fly.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to miss the target.  If we haven’t accepted Jesus as our Savior, our arrow is way off course and the promise of heaven isn’t ours to claim.  If we have, then our lives should now point others to their creator too.  Are you looking ahead to where you’re going?  Our arrows can’t go backwards, but the course can be corrected.  All we have to do is ask for help and when we do, His promise is for hope and a future.  Don’t forget, you were made to be immortal.

“…He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News.” 2 Timothy 1:10