Last week I had a conversation with my friend/martial arts instructor about his recent trip to Philadelphia for his fourth degree black belt training. He said the first thing they did to him, at the beginning of the first training session, was take away his black belt and give him a white belt. They said that was to help him to remember where he came from. Then he sparred for an hour - 3 minute rounds with one minute of rest between rounds. Oh yeah, he got a new opponent each round - all were black belts. (We're talking Tae Kwon Do, BTW.)
That conversation sparked a thought: What if we wore colored belts that indicated our level of spiritual maturity/learning? Would that help us remember where we came from? Would that help us remember that we are witnesses to the love of Christ? What if someone came to you and told you they were taking your belt and giving you a white belt? (If I remember correctly, the white belt indicates a "blank slate," a complete lack of knowledge of the martial art that you are beginning to train in.)
Do you think this would be a good tool to help us remember to be humble in our faith? I've heard it said that the biggest obstacle to furthering the case for Christ is Christians. Personally, I've heard too many of these stories - the one coworker who attends church regularly and professes faith in Christ, even invites his/her coworkers to church, but talks down to the waitress at lunch. Maybe they attend church but talk down any other church or denomination. Who would want to be a Christian if that is the example that they get on a daily basis? I wouldn't. If these folks had belts, we could take them away and help them remember where they came from - that we are all sinners in need of a savior.
We'd all be well served to remember where we came from and how we got to where we are. So, the question is; "Do you need someone to take away your belt?"
Enjoy the ride....
Scott
Let Me Explain
2 years ago
