“Run run run run….dive! Run run run…dive! Dive! Run run run run….”
Some of the things that we do in martial arts require extensive explanations. Looking at the movement you think, “What the heck are they doing?” and someone inevitably provides a lecture to expound on whatever deep philosophical meaning is behind the esoteric movement. Not so with ‘Run in Place and Dive.” It's exactly what it sounds like, and it’s meant to teach one thing and one thing only: when you fall, you get back up and keep going. That’s it. The idea is that if you’re shot or stabbed, or if you just trip and fall, you do not have permission to stay there and die. You get up because you are still alive and you quite simply are not done yet. The Japanese have a saying that gets at this idea, nanakorobi yaoki (七転び八起), which means literally “fall seven, stand eight.” Some people translate that into “never give up,” but for me it has much more meaning. And though I am indeed going into philosophical expansion here, ultimately I aim to explain why we as Christians should simplify something that many of us– including myself – tend to seriously overcomplicate.
Far too often I "fall" by giving in to sin, and when I do, I am paralyzed. I am wrought with guilt and I can’t move in the sense that it's all I can think about. I’m so surprised. How could I have done this? I thought I was better, I thought I was done with that, I thought I wasn’t like that anymore – or if I’m really being honest, I never imagined I was like that to begin with. But God is not surprised by my sin. He who knows everything that I have done, and everything I will do before I do it, knew the full list of charges against me before I ever conceived them. He alone knew the entirety of the cost that needed to be paid on my behalf at the cross, and he willingly paid it. There are no limits, refunds, exchanges, or takebacks. He took me exactly the way that I was knowing full well what the sanctification process would look like for me (that’s part of the reason why marriage is so scary – you don’t really know for sure what God has in store for the sanctification of your spouse, but you’re signing up for it anyway, come hell or highwater). The promise and commitment that God makes to us is nothing short of that commitment. He looks intently at us individually, looks full into our face, and says, “I want you. I love you. And I am never, ever going to leave you or forsake you, no matter what.” He cannot renege on that promise. What’s more, he himself is actually the means by which we are made more than what we are. We grow up into him. There is no fear in love, and there is no fear with this kind of grace. There is no fear of abandonment, and there is no need to prove anything. What can you prove to a God like that, anyway? Yes, your sin is ugly. You know that. He knows that infinitely more. But he already said yes to you, and did so willingly.
Too often as Christians we over-analyze the next step to take. What do I need to do to make sure this doesn't happen again? Who can I talk to? What Bible verse can I read? How much do I need to repent until I know it’ll ‘take’? Am I repentant enough? I must not have meant it enough the first time since this is still a problem. But you know what? You’re human, and therefore you’re a sinner. You’re broken, flawed, and inherently part of the fall. And God’s working in your life to make you new. God is working on your sanctification and he’s working to eradicate the sin in your life with perfect precision and perfect timing. How long has that sin been in your life, anyway? Five years? Ten years? That’s a long time for a sin to take hold on your life, and it probably has deep rooted effects in areas of your life that you never even dreamed would be affected by it. But we get so frustrated when we repent and the sin doesn't go away overnight. But God is God! He could make it go away overnight! He says it will, right? Not exactly:
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” – Philippians 1:6
“For if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” -1 John 1:9.
God doesn’t promise a specific timeline for our sanctification, but he does promise forgiveness and cleansing. But I don’t feel very cleansed... I know. But in this instance, your feelings are wrong. You have been cleansed, you just instantly need more cleansing since your heart produced more sin. And that’s ok! The sin’s not ok, but rather your needing more cleansing. Where did you get the idea that you were going to achieve perfection in this life? We set a standard for perfection for ourselves, but that’s not God’s standard for us. He desires that we pursue perfection but he does not expect perfection of us while we are on this earth. If that were even possible, we wouldn’t have needed him or his sacrifice in the first place. We need to trust God’s timing. If something is deeply wrong within me and I need surgery to fix it, I don’t want my surgery done as quickly as possible, I want it done right. God is working on your heart, and he’s working on making you more like Jesus. And I thoroughly believe that there can be a day when you are completely freed from a sin that you never thought you would be able to shake. God can kill a sin dead.
So get up. Don’t let your failure and sin paralyze you. When a two year old falls down, they cry because it’s scary and they’re afraid that they are hurt. And sometimes they are hurt – knees get scraped and they can bleed and be in real pain. But even in those instances, the parent is there to pick them up off the ground, set them upright again and say, “See? You’re okay! Let’s get back up again and keep going.” That may sound simplistic and cliché, but I really do think we overthink things sometimes. When you fall, you get back up again- whether you are a two year old toddler or a fully grown samurai warrior. Most of the time, we’re okay! It’s jarring, but it’s okay. Even the toddler as they grow knows: the faster I get up, the faster I can go back to exploring and having fun. So get up! You’re okay! You’re not dead! You are forgiven, redeemed, and are being sanctified every day. God wants you to get up and go on. He wants you to keep running! He’s got good plans for you and you lying there paralyzed on the ground doesn't make you useful to him, and it doesn't do any good for you.
All fighters inevitably fall. It’s the true warriors that get back up again.
七転び八起
