I heard a wonderful story a while back from the competitive shooting world.

Like other sports, there are few people who can bring together all of the qualities necessary to compete at the highest levels of the competitive shooting world.  And in this case I’m specifically meaning pistol shooting.  You have to have the athleticism and fine motor skill precision to navigate complex tasks at astounding speed – perfectly, flawlessly, and on demand.

You also have to be able to do this in high-pressure situations where crowds of people are watching nothing else but you and the slightest twitch of a finger could mean the difference between victory and defeat.

It was just this kind of pressure that a young shooter was caving under.  He had worked tireless hours day in and day out until he could perform well enough to compete in some of the best circles; but he couldn’t do it in front of crowds.  The anxiety and tension threw him off every time, causing him to perform way below his actual abilities.  It was a crushing reality for the young shooter.

Then one day, he saw a true master walk out onto the range at a very competitive match.  Crowds pressed around the barriers to get a better view.  Some people had come to the match just to see him shoot.   As the young shooter looked on, he realized how small and overwhelmed he would feel by all those eyes and voices noticing and discussing his every move.  And then the young shooter noticed the face of the master.  There wasn’t a crease of tension on his face.  He looked so calm and content and happy as he smiled kindly at the crowd.  He looked like he was simply smiling at a neighbor at the start of a beautiful day.  The master walked up to the starting line and shot a perfect, flawless run.

As luck would have it, later on that day the master shooter walked up right next to where the young shooter was standing to get a drink from the water cooler.  The young man’s desperate question came awkwardly bursting from his mouth, “How do you do it?”  The master looked around in surprise and said, “What?”  Gathering himself a bit, the young man said, “How do you stand in front of all of those people and stay calm without all the doubts and fears eating you alive?”

“Oh.” said the master and then paused as if he was trying to remember what being anxious in front of a crowd was like.  “Long ago I decided I wasn’t going to leave space for those things.  I fill up my mind with positive things – gratitude for the crowds, gratitude for getting to be there, confidence in my equipment, remembering all the times I’ve made this run before, imagining my body doing what I want it to do and all my shots going where I want them to go – until there isn’t room for any of the negative stuff.  I’ve been doing that for such a long time now, I hardly think about it anymore.”

Trying to take it all in, the young shooter simply said, “Thanks.”

As the master walked off, he paused and turned for a moment and said, “I’ve seen you shoot a few times.  Keep at it.  You’re on your way to being really good.”

That encounter, insight, and encouragement changed more than that young man’s shooting game.  Over time, it changed how he approached every area of his life.

When I heard the story it instantly reminded me of the advice of another master; some of the last words of advice from an early follower of Jesus named Paul (Philippians 4:4-9):

 ⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Fill up with the good things. Think about things you can put in your life to remind you of the good things.  Maybe start with printing out this scripture and putting it somewhere you’ll see it regularly.

Blessings!