Sharp Like An Arrow

---

"He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver." Isaiah 49:2 

This verse is one of my favorites. I started looking into it more through commentaries and different study bibles. One study bible said this verse was a metaphor for "the effectiveness of the word." And how the word is sharp, like a sword, penetrating us with its words. 

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12


In the Matthew's Henry Commentary, it says that God has equipped the author "for the service to which he designed them" and "furnished him with every thing necessary to fight God’s battles against the powers of darkness." 


An arrow when used in association with a bow is a long, slender pointed weapon with feathers at the end that help control the flight when it is released. Bow and arrows have been around for awhile and used by many cultures including the Native Americans and even the elves from Lord of the Rings (Legolas anyone?). Arrows penetrate deep into their targets, much like how the Word penetrates our hearts when it is read and applied. An arrow when used as a symbol of direction, does just that, it shows direction. The arrow will be pointed to the way that we need to follow. The Word is our guide for life. It encourages, it directs, it leads us. I like that the verse from Isaiah says "polished arrow." It gives me the thought of something being cleaned and refined. Life is hard and messy. We continuously go through seasons in our life where we get knee deep in mud and need to be cleaned off. Christ is the one who purifies us. 


Not only are there biblical reasons that jump out at me, I have a personal connection with bow and arrows. 


When my family and I moved to Alabama several years ago, I was in the 8th grade. Shortly after we moved my dad bought me my very own bow. I instantly fell in love with the sport that takes practice, concentration and precision. Many afternoons you could find me in our backyard shooting the heck out of some targets. I would shoot at those things so much that eventually they would wear out and my arrows would fly straight through the target into the woods. Thank God for the bright colored fletching that made locating them a little bit more easy. When I found out that archery was one of the sports in the Olympics, I felt like I had missed my calling. (Not that I'm that good!) Also, you can imagine my excitement of the explosion of archery in the media, especially with girls! Brave AND The Hunger Games, enough said. Then there is the show Arrow on the CW, in which the character is based off the DC comic character Green Arrow. Marvel has Hawkeye who appeared in Thor and is a part of the Avengers. There is a Disney movie, Princess of Thieves, from the early 2000s that stars Keira Knightley as Robin Hood's daughter and she later played in the movie King Arthur. I could keep going, but I'll stop. 

When it came to naming this place, I knew that I wanted something that was personal and meaningful to me. I think I have finally found that and will keep it around for quite awhile. So, welcome again to my blog-o-sphere, now known as: 

POLISHED ARROW. 

Photos by Carolyn Shea

My best friend (who is an amazing photographer btw) took these pictures a few years back when we were in college. Click her name above to check out her website! :)