Are you Good?

After class we often have a handful of students stay after who help clean up the room, mopping, sweeping and taking out the trash.

This past Saturday one of the neighborhood girls asked me, “Profe eres una persona buena?” “Teacher are you a good person?”

This is a good question and not as easy to answer as it at first seems.

In Jiu Jitsu we have a saying, that “the mats never lie.” You can think you are good at Jiu Jitsu, you can even tell all your friends and family members that you are good at Jiu Jitsu. You can be the baddest keyboard warrior and dominate the message boards during all the UFC fights, but the question remains… “Are you good at Jiu Jitsu?”

The only real place to answer that question is on the mats. “The mats never lie.” You see, it’s on the mats that your have to put your skills to the test. In Jiu Jitsu you don’t get to just punch or kick the air, you don’t have to memorize forms and repeat them uncontested.

In Jiu Jitsu you train against an opponent who is actively trying to defend themselves and attack you at the same time. It’s on the mats that I find out if I’m any good or if I’m going to be submitted by any number of arm bars or put to sleep by a choke.

So how do I test the first question, “Profe, are you a good person?” Which by the way is a much more important question than if I’m any good at Jiu Jitsu.

I could compare myself to another person, but depending on who I look at, the answer could be yes or no. If I look in the mirror, I face the same problem, because depending on the day and how I’m feeling about myself the answer changes.

The truth is I need a consistent, objective standard to measure myself against. I need a ‘mats never lie’ kind of measurement.

For me that objective measurement is found in the Bible. The standard doesn’t change from day to day, it isn’t subjective, it is a consistent, reliable measure that I can look to.

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” ~ Hebrews‬ ‭4:12‬

That last part is both terrifying and reassuring. Reassuring, because many times my intentions are well-intended even if they fail miserably. Terrifying because if I’m honest I know my own heart and how terribly far short it can fall.

Thankfully the Bible also shares the solution to my shortfall, knowing full well that my shortcomings can’t be overcome no matter how much effort I put forth. First it honestly says ‘you’re not good enough,’ but second it tells me there is someone who is and that His righteousness is a gift to me (and you) if we accept it.

“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” ~ Romans‬ ‭5:8‬

So is my jiu jitsu any good? Well, not as good as I would like it to be, for that there is only one option: more time on the mat.

*mark10.17-18, isaiah 53.5-6, romans 3.23