The Arrow Wasn’t Sharp

I had the wrong idea. About arrows anyway.

When my oldest children were young, I came upon Psalm 127 :4-5. “Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with the opponents in court.” I always loved this Bible verse for what I thought it meant and now, now that I have adult children, I love it even more as I understand the deeper context and meaning of this verse.

You often hear it in Christian circles. I know I’ve said it many times over the years, especially as we added more and more children to our ‘quiver.’ It sounded something like this…these children are my arrows and I’m launching them for God’s glory. These arrows are sharp and going to pierce a dark world for Jesus. I’m blessed to have many sharp arrows to penetrate this world.

This passage held the depth of meaning and encouragement I was looking for on my never-ending, tireless effort to fashion my arrows for God’s glory in my everyday. I love, and still love, how children in the verse are given such great meaning and purpose than simply a duty, an obligation, a source of pride, a distraction, or something to get in the way of what I want. The visual is rich and purposeful. Children are described as a benefit. A blessing. A weapon. And not just one. The idea is the more the better. Arrows with purpose.