Hitting the Mark (Part 2)

Ellis and his dad woke up before sunrise to walk out to the woods the first day of bow hunting season. It was a brisk morning, and the frosty grass crunched beneath Ellis's feet as he walked."Your stand is right up here," Dad whispered. Before Ellis could climb the ladder up to his tree stand, Dad grabbed his elbow. "Ellis, there are two things you need to remember." Dad's face was serious. "Do not fall asleep, and do not leave your stand."Ellis nodded. "You're going to do great," Dad whispered before he disappeared into the darkness to sit in a tree stand somewhere else.Thirty minutes later, Ellis was getting bored and sleepy. He kept watching for deer, but his hunting jacket was so warm, and the sounds of the woods were so calming. He closed his eyes.Ellis's eyes shot open when he heard a loud scraping sound coming from below. Rattled, he turned quickly and saw a giant buck scraping his antlers against a tree right next to him.He frantically reached for his bow, but the deer had already heard him. With a dash, the buck was gone.When Dad came back to get him, Ellis tried not to let him see that he had been crying. "Ellis, what's wrong?" asked Dad."Dad, I'm so sorry! I fell asleep, and a giant buck got away. Are you mad?""Of course I'm not mad," Dad said. "I'm only disappointed for you because I know how badly you wanted to get a deer today! And I wanted you to be safe."Ellis sniffled. "I wish I had listened to your instructions. When that buck came, I wasn't ready for him."Dad smiled. "That reminds me of some other instructions we should all listen to about being ready. Pastor Brown talked about them at church last week, remember?""You mean what he said about being ready for Jesus to come back?" asked Ellis. Dad nodded. "Jesus promised to come back someday to get rid of all sin and make everything new. And what a day that will be! But we need to be ready. First, we must trust Him as our Savior. Then, as we wait for Him, we need to be alert to how we can help more people know how much He loves them."–Emily Tenter