Hitting the Bullseye

In the Bible, the word for sin is Hamartia, an ancient Greek term borrowed from archery. It means “missing the mark.” Imagine an archer drawing back his bow, taking careful aim, and releasing the arrow—only for it to fall short or veer off target. No matter how close it comes, if it doesn’t hit the center, the archer has missed the mark.

This is the image Scriptures give us for sin. It is not just making a mistake or failing in one particular act. Sin is missing the very purpose of our existence. It is not simply the violation of a rule—it is wounding a relationship. Not merely a servant failing to follow orders, but a child forgetting the love of a parent.

When God created humans, He gave us a target: to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. That is the bullseye. That is what we were made for. Sin is when we aim our lives at something else—comfort, pride, wealth, recognition—and, in doing so, we fall short of God’s glory.

The beauty of the Gospel is that God does not leave us missing the target forever. In Christ, He steps onto the field, takes our bow, and gives us the strength to aim again. That’s why the Bible says in Hebrews 12:2, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.”

When you keep your eyes on Him, He’ll help you aim true. He’ll give you the strength to resist distractions, the wisdom to make the right choices, and the grace to get back on course when you’ve wandered.

So don’t live life shooting at the wrong target. Don’t let the distractions of the world pull your aim away from the One who gave you life. Stay focused on Him. And when you do miss—and we all do—don’t stay down. Pick up your bow again. God’s grace is enough to realign you.

If you keep aiming at Him, before long, you’ll be living in the center of His will, fulfilling the purpose He had in mind when He created you. And that’s where the joy is. That’s where the peace is. That’s where the blessing is.