I cannot believe I left this out of my first blog... (that sounds so weird... blog...)
I am a diehard Christian. I am not ashamed of my beliefs, nor am I afraid to defend them, which I can do quite well. Yes, there are times when I fail epically and don't represent Christ as I should... and those times include the moments when I get too argumentative about my faith. As a Christian, I'm not called to argue or debate, I'm called to love...
While there are times I do get very fiery and argumentative, my greatest joy is in loving people. The most rewarding moments are those in which I break outside of the prison of myself and do something that benefits someone else, not me. This is backward thinking in our society, but it is the only thing that makes me truly happy (other than Christ himself and what He's done). I've noticed, especially as of late, that the more focused I am on myself, the more I am depressed and insecure....
When I break the chains of my own mind and focus on others, I am free. I am no longer bound to my self, the worries and doubts of my own mind, but I am free to love as Christ loved, to do something that will always be remembered...
My greatest moment in taekwondo wasn't when I won 2nd place at the World Kickboxing Championships, nor did take place when I won the Junior Olympics. It was at a comparatively tiny tournament... I cleaned out the trophies. I won 1st in three events... but I only took home 2 1st place trophies.
There was a three year old boy, cute as could be. It was his first tournament. He didn't win, didn't even come close in his division. Afterwards, armed with a 1st place trophy, I went over to talk to him and his family. I asked him how he had done. After looking at his grandma, he looked at me with the most innocent expression and said "I did good!" while nodding his head... My heart melted. As I congratulated him on a job well done, I handed him the trophy. I think he was in shock. I gave him a high five, said congrats again, and walked off. Later, his parents asked if I would take a picture with him and his first trophy. As we posed for the camera, he said "Cheeeese!"... Oh my goodness...
That is the most meaningful trophy I've ever won... My only hope is that it means more to him than it does to me.
My, my...brought a tear to my eye, you did. I'm sure it meant quite a lot to him, and you'll have made an impact that will last for his entire life. Not many people do that for others, and I'm exceedingly proud that you did. ^_^
ReplyDeleteAw. :)
ReplyDeleteYou absolutely rock. As a Christian... I absolutely agree with you, I feel so much better when I'm focused on doing something for other people rather than dwelling on myself and my surroundings. This really should be posted everywhere!!! And I love that you took the time to go talk to the little boy! What a blessing that was not only for him, but for his family too!!
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