When we have done something wrong, repentance takes honesty and we have Christ’s forgiveness. When we know that we must speak unpopular truth to expose false teaching or hypocrisy, we are comforted that in a small way we are identifying with the suffering of our Savior, who is crucified and risen. That is what we are called to, inside and outside of the church. I would say that it takes even more courage than fending off AK-47 shooters.

 
One of the perks of moving back to my hometown is that my son now gets to take his Mixed Martial Arts training at my brother’s dojo, Clinch Academy. Yesterday they had belt promotions. Any of you who may have trained in the martial arts know that belt promotions are a major right of passage. And if you train at a place that is more serious about the art than the business, the belt symbolizes more than just time put it and physical skill.

That’s what my brother talks about at the beginning of promotions, what these belts symbolize. Yesterday, he asked the kids what it takes to get good at mixed martial arts. He talks about this often, so multiple hands were going up to answer. Luke likes to start it off with discussing the meaning of commitment. But he doesn’t just keep it in the dojo. While the kids give answers about its meaning, he asks them where else this applies in life.

A black belt takes a long time and a lot of commitment. Sometimes you will want to quit. So you have smaller goals along the way. In order to be promoted to the next belt, you have to put in the time and be able to pass the evaluation for what that belt requires. The higher your level, the longer time there is before your next promotion. So the kids were answering Luke, that this takes perseverance and endurance. “What else?” One kid raised his hand and said “courage.”

“When will you need courage in life?”

Read More