Arrows in the Quiver
The hunter pulled up to the Forest Service gate and put his truck in park. It was still dark, but a soft glow to the East told him dawn was coming soon. He poured himself a cup of coffee from a thermos and took a sip as he made a mental inventory of what he was going to need for the day.
He had been up late the night before at a barbeque with friends and hadn’t taken much time to prepare for this hunt. It was archery season and the weather was still warm, so clothing was not a big issue. He felt good about that. He was dressed in warm camouflage fleece and his feet would be fine in the light hiking boots he had chosen. He had his bow and had grabbed a handful of arrows out of a box in the closet and stuffed them in his quiver. He had made himself a light lunch and had plenty of snacks and water. Bow, check. Knives, check. Matches, check. Firestarter, rope and his hunting tag, check. Good to go. Time to find some elk!
Three hours later he was sitting at the top of a ten-year-old rolling clear-cut, nestled into some underbrush with a good view of the vast majority of knobs and ravines in the large clearing. It was an area he had scouted all throughout the spring and summer and he knew it well. He also knew that there were elk there quite consistently and as long as the cooler weather hadn’t sent them somewhere else, he had a good chance at having an opportunity to harvest one of the nice bulls in the herd.
The sun was warm on his face and he was just a little too comfortable lying there with his back against the brush. He drifted off to sleep and awoke with a start when he heard a loud thump!
He didn’t move a muscle. Just opened his eyes and waited for them to focus. He scanned from left to right and there, not 50 yards away, were several elk! They were all cows, but just beyond them, lumbering up the hill was a massive bull. He could feel his heart racing. The wind was in his face and just a steady breeze. The cows were quartering away from him across the sidehill and the bull would follow suit. Conditions were perfect.
He waited until the cows had passed and the bull had made his turn, not 40 yards away. The bull stopped and began to graze on a patch of tall grass that still had some color. The hunter carefully moved to his knees and picked up his bow. He pulled an arrow from the quiver and felt his stomach drop. It was missing a fletching. He laid it down and pulled out another. Missing two fletching’s! The next arrow had only a practice tip! Two arrows left. He was feeling sick to his stomach. His hand trembled as he eased the next arrow out. It was perfect! But that only left one arrow. He pulled it out. The fletching’s were good and it had a hunting tip, but one of the blades were missing. His heart sank. One good arrow.
He cursed himself for grabbing the arrows in the dark and not checking them. For not taking the time to properly prepare the night before. Sure, he had a good chance of hitting his target with one arrow, but what if he was just a bit off? He would have a wounded bull elk with no way to finish the job. Not an acceptable scenario for a responsible hunter. He breathed out a heavy sigh. The bull heard it, and turned and looked right at him before exploding from the spot he was standing and charging straight down the hill. He was gone in an instant.
“As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.” – Psalms 127:4-5
God makes it abundantly clear that children are a treasure. They truly are our arrows in the quiver and the future of all humanity. How they are raised, and what they are taught is critical beyond measure as to our collective global future.
On a macro scale, the world depends on all of our children being raised to know and love God and Jesus.
But, even on a micro scale, it is critical beyond measure for families, businesses, churches and missions like ours. In essence, it is our collective responsibility to be sure that we have not just arrows in our quivers, but good arrows in our quivers. Children who are brought up and trained in the admonition of the Lord. If not, like the hunter, we may have arrows in our quiver, but not the ones we want. Not the ones we need.
Our job, on this earth, is to perpetuate a continuum of Christians that will take our place when we are gone.
This is true here at Orphan’s Lifeline and it is also true in our children’s homes across the world. As directors and caregivers age, it will become very important that there are good arrows in the quiver to take their place when that time comes.
The good news is that very thing is happening in our homes. A perfect example is Safe Home in Liberia where three good arrows are preparing themselves for a life of future service at Safe Home.
Joshua Dormeyan first came to Safe Home in 2009. Since graduating high school, he has been helping teach the other children at the school there. Now, he wants to go to the University to get his degree so he can return and become the head of the Educational Department at Safe Home.
Nathaline grew up at Safe Home from the time she was very young. She loves finance and social work and wants to get her degree in Social Services and return to work full time at the children’s home.
Joe F Steward has also lived at Safe Home for many years. He has served as a team leader and has helped in many capacities since graduating high school. His dream is to get a degree in Sociology as well and return to continue growing and learning and someday become the Director of Safe Home. John Travis, the current Director believes he is the perfect person to take the helm when the time comes.
These three are the true essence of this mission. They represent the ultimate goal of this mission to raise up children that love the Lord and want to serve Him through serving others. Loving thy neighbor. We are truly thankful and humbled to have all of you in our corner as across the world in 9 countries we are working hard to perpetuate this very thing. To raise up servants of God. To put many good arrows in our quiver.