Piloting Faith: Life lessons Cameron is learning from Brazilian Jiu Jitzu
A Word for the Day...
To survive the current political climate, I have taken up Brazilan Jiu Jitzu. I'm genuinely terrible. I seem chronically addicted to doing stupid things. But as my teacher keeps saying, you have to crawl before you walk and walk before you run. So, I am crawling right now...and I am learning as I go.
Here are the 9 life lessons that I have learned so far:
You can only plan the first 6 seconds of a match. The rest depends on training and improvisation.
Where your head goes, your body follows.
Pain is your friend.
Losing is learning. Losing will teach you more than winning.
Momentum matters more than shear strength.
Having good teachers and teams makes all the difference.
Falling down is part of life. Get up and go again.
Use breath mints and wash your uniform. EVERYONE will thank you.
No one fights like you...and that is the point. You do YOU.
For those of you leading transformational work, you pay a more costly price than most in leading us forward. I pray for you, for all of us, that we find good teachers and good teams. On the days we feel we are crawling, let's remind each other its part of the process. There is only one thing we can't do: We can't quit.
- Rev. Cameron Trimble, CEO of the Center for Progressive Renewal
Prayer for the Week
Lord,
Teach me a child's way of living in my heart and mine today:
playful
open
curious
unguarded
innocent
quick to giggle
delighted in the moment
easily contented
ready to hope –and hope big – all over again
forgetful yesterday
reaching for mommy
reaching for daddy
reaching often, God–
securing your presence
believing in your goodness
trusting in your strength
I want to change and become little in my spirit. Teach me what that looks like.
Help me to let go of the grown-up stuff I'm so prideful about, like what I think I know, especially about you.
Remake me like a child in all the right ways, that I may walk in your presence today.
Amen.
(adapted from The Prayer Wheel by Patton Dodd, Jana Riess and David Van Biema)
