Craig Clouston

Point of Impact

All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.
Philippians 3:15

Mark Pendleton was forty-something, slightly built, and showing signs of balding. Yet there was a quiet confidence about him that caused people to take a second look.
Proceeding with his demonstration, Mark shared that as a young man he’d gotten into trouble. Then a friend had introduced him to Jesus, and he began learning about God’s plan for his life.
Through the martial arts, God taught Mark where to direct his attention in matters of importance and how to harness the strength necessary to demolish any obstacles the enemy placed in his way.
“In order to break these blocks,” Mark explained, “I must first establish the correct point of impact, then visualize my punch reaching that point. To be successful, I must focus on the bottom of the stack. I visualize the completed punch having reached a point at which the blocks will have broken.”
The crowd watched as Mark began his mental focus routine. Standing two feet behind the blocks, Mark slowly rotated his fist, driving his arm and shoulders in a downward, slow motion punch to the bottom of the stack. When he was finished with his preparation, Mark stepped up to the blocks, and with a loud “hiya,” he executed one more punch, completely shattering all six blocks!

†

As we mature, we set out to make our mark on society. Many of us succeed, obtaining goal after goal, never looking back.
In contrast, many of us fall short of the success we envisioned, hopelessly lost in failure. For the vast majority of us, it’s because our goals were not set correctly, and our point of impact was unclear. In order to successfully reach our intended goal, we must determine the correct point of impact.
Paul told the Philippians to forget their past failures and press on. We too must forget the past and set new goals.
Wisdom suggests we set attainable goals in order to not become discouraged. Then we must visualize completion of the goal. Most importantly, we must rely on God’s strength and instruction when determining the point of impact.

Prayer

“Lord, guide me along life’s path and help me look for the right point of impact within my realm of influence. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”