Devotional: Jiu-Jitsu and Faith: A Parable
Source: Operator-authored devotional (1 Corinthians 9:25–27 NKJV) · matt
Jiu-jitsu is like faith. You start out clumsy, unable to see the traps, vulnerable at every turn. With time and guidance, you begin to recognize the snares and the escapes. You find peace in the chaos, learning that survival is often more important than victory. In both, humility is essential.
Faith, like jiu-jitsu, is not about overpowering others but about learning control — over self, over fear, over pride. The mat becomes a place of refinement, much like the trials of life. Each roll is a chance to die to self, to surrender, and to grow stronger in spirit.
Witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15)
- operator_signature: Operator signature — Matt Harris
- manuscript_tradition: Codex Sinaiticus (c. AD 350) — Greek NT + LXX
- manuscript_tradition: Codex Vaticanus (c. AD 325) — Greek NT + OT
- manuscript_tradition: Aleppo Codex (c. AD 920) — Masoretic Hebrew OT
- critical_edition: Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece (NA28)
- critical_edition: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS)
- translation: Septuagint (LXX) — Greek OT, 3rd cent BC
- translation: Vulgate (Jerome, c. AD 405) — Latin
- translation: King James Version (1611) — independent English translation
- republication: Internet Archive — World English Bible
- republication: Project Gutenberg — World English Bible
- non_government_archive: Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL)