Receivers

In any style of martial arts there comes a point that the practitioner will meet with physical pain. Be it through combat, stance training or some form of strenuous endurance, the martial artist must learn to find calm in the storm. This is often referred to as mind over matter or mind over body. An experienced practitioner will easily overcome these physical obstacles and will be able to see deeper into the movements.

There are many masters that are able to do amazing feats through this accomplishment that would seem to deny the laws of physics. Yet martial arts is just a reflection of life, and very few individuals including martial artists are able to overcome the day to day forms of "warfare".

In the early stages of a relationship we are filled with excitement about our partner. Over a few months we begin to notice flaws and things that may irritate us and it becomes quite apparent that we should no longer be with this person. A new job can also be a high point in our life, but only after a few years the very same position seems to be hindering us from progress. In fact all forms of happiness only lead to us seeking and thirsting for a new and more profound form of happiness. Our cars need to be faster, our houses need to be repainted and our cell phones need to have more applications.

In the martial arts world this would be the student who always needs to learn more new moves in order to continue his practice. After he learns all of the movements he feels the only way to continue is to learn and begin a new style.

No matter how beautiful your woman is, there will be more beautiful women. No matter how great your job is, there will be better jobs. We find ourselves in an endless state of chase or competition for the next best thing. Therefore any moment of greatness that we seem to have achieve is only temporal.

Is this a good thing? How many times have we seen someone who seemed to have everything we've always wanted and they commit suicide? If your success is only apparent to others, then you live in a cave of dark deception. Is it a bad thing? There are those with so much potential who could have changed the world, but settle for complacency and basically rot away in indifference.

In order understand our behavior we must understand what it means to be human. In order to understand what it means to be human, we must understand God's design for us.

We often hear people say it is better to give than to receive. Yet all of us love nothing more than to receive a wonderful gift or opportunity. It lights up our eyes and rumbles our stomachs to have something you have always wanted finally come your way. Yet all of the power lies in giving. In martial arts terms it's safe to say that giving is offense and receiving is defense. You give an attack or you receive it.

In more obvious terms if I have ten million dollars and I give you a million I have not only made you happy, I have also displayed my power and grace through giving. This is the very nature of God, he is the giver of all things. Which means that at our most basic essence we are receivers of his goodness. He made man on the 6th day so that we would receive his every great creation. So for us to want more and desire more for our lives, is part of our DNA. Just as it is God's nature to give you all things that you want. Of course that's only for those who choose to receive it.

Yet there are so many things that you think you want. You think you want every beautiful women in the world when in fact the more you attain the more hollow you feel afterward. Many of the goals that we set for ourselves are don't even last as long as a new pair of shoes. In many cases by first determining what we want, we try to become both the giver and the receiver. A role that can only lead to exhaustion and self destruction.

To overcome our physical pain whether we are holding a stance or walking the circle we must think of nothing. It is by clearing our mind of all things that we are able to exist in the moment of peace. When this is done in combat you don't need to think about how to attack your opponent because your attack will fire automatically without thought. In Bagua we often say when we move, we move like water, but when we stop we are a mountain.

In Philippians 4 12 it says "...Everywhere and in all things, I have learned to be both full and hungry.." Your wife and job may not be new but you must learn to renew your mind. Continue to see the beauty that is there to prevent being deceived by a sense of the unknown. The forbidden fruit is only appealing to the eye, the lifestyle is not what you want for your soul.  But when blessed new opportunity presents itself you must receive it. There are countless treasures that are unclaimed in Heaven that are just waiting for you. At the same time you have already obtained so many gifts that you are forgetting to recognize. Appreciate and love your loved ones while you still can. No matter how bad you may think your job is, at least you have a job. And if you don't have a job, the time you have is more valuable then money. Learn to see good and life becomes great.