Principle #2: Detachment

 


Recommendation: Watch “Principle #2: Detachment” video on GracieUniversity.com


(Disclaimer: I am not being paid/sponsored in any way to promote "Gracie University". I have found their "The 32 Principles" videos incredibly beneficial and I hope you do too! And it's not necessary to watch these videos to benefit from this blog)

Thoughts:

This video taught me about the importance of detachment for the sake of finding a new opening or opportunity. Sometimes in BJJ, we have to make the decision to detach from a certain connection – to let it go, to release it, so that we are free to embrace something better.

If we focus on maintaining a connection that is no longer advantageous, we could put ourselves in a compromising position, and ultimately lose our chance to win the fight. We don’t want to be too stubborn by holding onto a certain position when it’s no longer advantageous – when our energy is being drained and it’s not working.

Now let’s pivot and apply this principle to our spiritual walk with Christ.

For me, this means that we must hold our dreams and desires in check. They can be motivating and get us going, but if they are not working anymore, draining us of all our energy, we need to reevaluate. We need to consider letting them go.

I think one of the biggest problems in any Christian’s life is this idea that “God gave me a vision for XYZ…and I’m going to keep going until I achieve it!”

That’s great for determination and perseverance – sometimes we just need to hang in there and keep going. None of us want to be labeled a “quitter”.

But sometimes, if we’re trying to hold onto our own understanding of whatever idea or vision we have, we can miss out on a new opportunity that God is opening up that we didn’t expect. Read that again.

And since we’re holding so tight to the first vision – we miss out on a new Jiu Jitsu move that God is giving us, that was made possible only IF we detach and let go, and then smoothly go into the next opportunity God gives us.

A great example of this in the Bible is old King Saul. He was appointed by God to be Israel’s first king. What an honor! What a position!

But he held onto his position more than his faith in God, and when God was doing something new around him, his stubbornness wouldn’t let go. When God raised up David as someone Saul could mentor and have a lasting legacy with, instead Saul chose to resist and try to hold his original position with all the strength and resources he could muster.

And that didn’t end well for Saul…

In the same way, we need to be flexible with God. 

Yes, He may have given you a vision, an idea of something to pursue. But don’t elevate your understanding of the details and how they are to be implemented to be more than your faith in Him. 

God got you there with that vision, and by using detachment, sometimes He moves you to the NEXT position which was made possible by the FIRST position. But here’s the KEY = ONLY IF YOU LET GO AND DETACH FROM YOUR ORIGINAL POSITION.

I hope this makes sense to you.

Frankly, I’ve experienced this multiple times in the last 15 years of my life – and I think I’m finally learning this valuable principle and how it can play out in my walk with Christ. Don’t resist it, but embrace it, and your spiritual Jiu Jitsu will roll in new directions, opportunities and positions that you never imagined possible!

Keep rolling,

Brian

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