Follow-Through

“…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1

I once attended a tournament with hundreds of participants. There were large boards identifying the ring you were supposed to report to as well as the name and age of the fighter you were to oppose.

At the ring, I was trying to keep my muscles warm, when a large man walked up to the other side. You see, often people will forfeit the fight if they took too much damage in their last fight, if they’re too tired or if they feel there’s no way to win. This allows you to advance without any physical cost. So, I figured this was the kid's coach coming to forfeit the fight.

When the sensei asked if we were ready, this man said yes. “Whoa! Wait a minute! I’m supposed to be fighting a teenager.” I protested. The “man” said that he was 14! This kid was 14 years old, 6 foot tall and 250 pounds! A reject from a hormone factory! Now I was thoroughly intimidated. When the sensei said “Hajime!” (Begin!), I launched into my best front switch kick and knocked the monstrosity down. I began to celebrate “I’m not hurt! I’m not hurt!” and did not continue the fight on the ground, thinking he was down for the count. When I turned around he had gotten up. I panicked and feinted as though I was going to kick and instead executed a spin back fist. Again he went down, again I celebrated, and again he got up. When that kid finally got hold of me, he threw me every which way but loose. All I remember is flashes of ceiling, flashes of floor, flashes of ceiling, flashes of floor. He destroyed me.

During the entire next year, my coach carried a cane rod that he would apply liberally to my calves every time I threw a punch and failed to throw a combination, or knocked someone down and did not pursue to the ground and finish the fight. The following year I fought like a mad man until the others tapped out and the sensei pulled me off. My coach walked up to me and told me “You lack grace, but you’re plenty mean!”

We often confess sin, make half-hearted attempts to turn from our sin, and are shocked when sin gets us. Confession is great, but it’s only the beginning. Restitution is better, but it is still not enough. We must consistently pursue sin in our life, root it out and destroy it. We must follow through. Find someone who will help us, to whom we can be accountable. Read up on what others have learned and learn their lessons. We must hang out with those who will lift us up and help us, not with those who drag us back into the same old patterns.