Here's a blog I have on my Facebook and Xanga. I thought I'd share this with my fellow TKD bros and sisters. Enjoy
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The way of the warrior...
Everyone's Favourite Story
If there is one story that I'll never get tired of hearing, it would be the classic cliché martial arts story. Just to be clear I'd be lying if I said the same for the story of the Bible but I still treat it as the only true word of God. And I believe that you can find images of God in other stories as well.
So the cliché martial arts story goes like this. A mild mannered and shy boy at school likes this girl and can't muster up the courage to ask her to the dance. On top of that this boy get pushed around by your classic bully. Worst of all, the bully gets the girl that the shy boy likes. (gasp!) Later on, the boy gets into some Martial Arts training at a local school where he learns the basic movements under a very well trained Master. After a few weeks, in a dramatic climax the boy somehow gets into a fight with the bully and bully gets thoroughly humiliated by the new skills that the boy acquired from his martial arts training. In the end, the shy boy is not so shy anymore and he gains lots of friends. (and in some versions, the boy gets the courage to ask the girl out!)
Depending on what version of the story you've heard, some details maybe different. For example, the martial art style learned differs from story to story and the circumstances don't always involve a crush on a girl. But I think those points are pretty much the gist of the classic martial arts story.
So what is the point of this story? Is it just some cheesy story? Yes, I know. It is very cheesy but to me it resembles a David vs. Goliath type story that always fascinated me. Before I became a Christian this was the one story that told me that I could stand up to the people that made fun of me in elementary school because I stuttered from time to time. I guess with most males growing up the North American culture, you at least got into one fight on the playground one way or another.
Should Christians Practice Martial Arts?
My passion for Martial Arts isn't the only thing that prompted me to write this. I was reading the ever awesome Boundless webzine and there was this curious article about martial arts and how a lot Christians struggle with the question "should Christians practice martial arts?" when the origins of martial arts come from Buddhist or other ideas? After one confusing paragraph in that Boundless article, I think the conclusion is that yes it is okay for Christians to learn the art of breaking boards and other high flying antics.
From what I understand, the article mentions that is does not matter which religion found the truth first and all truth is God's truth to begin with. Plus I remember reading in one of Nicky Gumbel's little booklets from Alpha that God's image can be found in other religions too. Even though we know for sure that the image isn't a complete image there are things that we shouldn't be afraid to explore. I know for myself I tend to look at other religions with a tendency to go ahead and judge and take a very one sided biased point of view that everything has to happen in one way. Obviously, there are certain things that Bible clearly outlines but the point is that with little things like physical exercise, keeping the peace, and staying relaxed in stressful situations can be found in a lot of places both secular and nonsecular and we shouldn't be afraid of things just because it doesn't have any Christian vocabulary in it. I mean if you're really afraid, one can at least take the step of praying that God will give you the discernment to figure out what is true and what is not. With that being said, I believe that you can find images of God in martial arts.
Warrior Spirit
I am currently a blue belt in Tae Kwon Do. I started when I was a kid and then stopped training and then I started again when my passion for Martial arts ignited after my first year of university. When I look at Bible verses talking about spiritual battles, courage, and the great battles of the Old Testament, it really satisfies the fighter within me. Expanding on the spiritual battles, my small group at Souljourners is doing a bible study on the Armour of God in Ephesians 6:10-20. When I take in the scripture, I can't help but remember the cliché saying in martial arts where the worst opponent that we'll ever face is not Chuck Liddell or Mike Tyson or even Chuck Norris! The worst opponent that we'll ever face is ourselves. Think about it, we all have wrestle with our sinful desires everyday . Satan may have influence some of your bad decisions, but one thing still holds true is that we are sinful beings to begin with and it doesn't matter it was Satan that influenced it , we all had that choice to either give in to your evil desires or stand and swing the first punch. 1 Corinthians 10:13 said that we will not be tempted beyond what we can bear and that God will provide a way out for us. I know for myself that it is always a fight to discipline myself when I try to do those pushups or kick with the right technique when my muscles are so incredibly tired.
In addition, the part about fighting against ourselves is also in our self-talk. If you notice how in the martial arts story I mentioned earlier that the boy was picked on by a bully and that discouraged the boy for a while. That instance there reminds me of how we don't have to listen to what that bully is saying. Other people can say that you're fat, stupid, lazy, numbnuts, pinhead or something completely silly but only you know that you're none of those things and I believe that there is a part in all of us that threatens to accept all the negative thoughts that come in from the outside.
Another part of Martial Arts that I find peculiarly intriguing is some of the activities that martial artist do to practice our techniques. In most martial arts there are usually forms, Katas, or Poomse as we call it in TKD. From what I understand, it is through practicing these movements that we learn how to apply these techniques in self-defence. To me that kind of looks like how as Christians we are called to meditate on verses day and night so that we find out what God is really saying to us.
Also, what I'm find with these techniques is that I perform them best when I am relaxed and not so tense. It reminds me a lot about what God tells me when He says that He is with me wherever I go and that I don't need to be so tense all the time. For example, I get a pretty apprehensive when I meet new people and I worry so much about making a good impression or making a painful mistake but God assures me like in Matthew 6:25-34 to stay relaxed. It is also about being confident that my God is the only true God like in the contest of Gods on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18. So God assures me the victory in the end and to tense up and try to take things into my own hands is just prideful of me. Even if I lose a fight, it just means that God is guiding me to work on some of my techniques or some other area in my life. Hence, the secret is to just relax and be confident that you have God fighting alongside with you.
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Tags: Warrior God Bully David Goliath Christian Spirit
