Deep Water

It's always interesting to watch fights and see how a fighter's natural tendencies become pronounced during stressful situations. For example, a fighter with a wrestling background will almost always resort to shooting a double-leg takedown if he starts getting hit on his feet. Similarly, a BJJ guy will inevitably pull guard if a wrestler starts to get the dominant position in the clinch. Every fighter has a background that they will resort to when the fight gets so tough that they stop thinking and start reacting. Fighters call this being taken into the "deep water." Our lives are not much different in this regard—during times of high stress and struggles we see that our sinful nature starts to come to the surface in ways that are unique to our personal makeup and background.

The Point of Breaking

Personally, the economic downturn has hit my business very hard. My ministry, Agon Fighters, founded with Matt Lindland and other fighters, has seen donations dry up. Because of funding, we have had to postpone video production of a DVD with fighters' testimonies. Through all of this, I have found myself becoming angry and increasingly selfish with my remaining resources. These times in our lives are the "deep water," but the difference is fighters want to be taken into the deep water, while in our personal lives we do almost anything to avoid it. Fighters understand that the only way to become a more complete fighter is to be pushed to the point of breaking, and since their goal is to be a complete fighter, they welcome these opportunities.

Completeness

James speaks of this in the context of our lives when he says, "count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4). Our goal in our faith should be the same as a fighter's goal in the octagon—to be complete. When we have this goal, we can have the joy James speaks of when we are taken into the deep water because God uses these trials to make us complete, to make us like him!