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The story of William Tell celebrates the marksmanship of a medieval Swiss accidental revolutionary.

As the story goes, the Habsburg rulers of Austria began to encroach on the fiercely independent upland villages of the Alps. The Austrian king appointed Hermann Gessler his representative in Uri. As a symbol of Austrian authority, Gessler set up a pole in the market square, put his hat on top and demanded the local folk bow before it as a symbol of their obeisance.

When William Tell walked through the square, he made a point specifically not to bow before this symbol of Austrian presumption. Arrested, the Austrian Gessler sentenced Tell to shooting an apple off the head of his son with his crossbow.

Citing down the shaft of his crossbow, Tell focused on the red skin of the apple. Despite his love for his son, or perhaps inspired by the love of his son, he held his crossbow steady, denying to his limbs the freedom to tremble or to quiver. His hand steady and his eye true, his strength in this trial must have come from a lifetime of practiced discipline.

The end of this familiar story is well-known. William Tell let fly the bolt from his crossbow. The apple was riven in two. Father and son were set free and subsequently led the Swiss defiance against Austria that led to the rise of the Swiss Confederation.

What is the secret to shooting apples off of the head of one’s children?

The story of William Tell may be more legend than historic event. The story endures because it reveals much about the challenge of the human experience.

Whether one is shooting apples off the head of the one’s children, or supporting one’s spouse in marriage or advancing the goals of one’s business – the challenge is to identify the target, focus on the target, and to be so invested in the value of hitting the target that all other distractions fade to nothing.

William Tell had it easy. An apple on the head of his son provided a clear and unambiguous objective. The cost of failure was very, very clear.

Unfortunately real life rarely presents such clear aims. A couple enters into marriage, but what is the goal of marriage: Happiness? Contentment? Joy?

Parents have children, but what is the goal of parenthood: Docile children? Obedient children? Cheerful children?

God gives us life, but what is the goal of life?

When you set your bolt on your life’s crossbow, and cite down its shaft, what is the focus of your life’s attention?