Black Belt Test

My son, DJ, earned his black belt in Tae Kwon Do a couple weeks ago. It was an amazing and exciting day for my family. DJ had worked really hard for this and nothing that we could have done could give him his black belt. It took hundreds of hours of training, countless bumps and bruises, and 100% determination for him to earn his black belt. His dad and I could not be more proud!

His test consisted of three phases - patterns, physical fitness, and sparring. The patterns and physical fitness were combined in a hour and twenty minute time. The last phase, sparring, consisted of him sparring three different black belts one on one for three minutes each, and one match of two on one for five minutes. As you can imagine after almost a hour and half of physical fitness and patterns and then sparring three other black belts, (two of which were adults) for almost ten minutes, back to back, he was pretty worn out for the fourth and final match. This was intentional to see if he would quit. That was the goal. If he quit any time during the test he would fail. He worked so long for this final moment and it was on the line.

It is amazing what God will use to show you what you need to know. You see, I was told that I would cry and I shouldn't attend the final match because I wouldn't be able to handle it. But I am his mother, and there was no way I was going to miss it. As I watched the final match, DJ looked at me from across the room and his eyes glazed over. I thought he was going to pass out. As his mother, I wanted to pull him out immediately. I am his mother and I had that right. But, if I had done that, he would not be a black belt today. He had to endure that final match to earn his black belt.

In that instant of wanting to protect my son, a thought popped in my head, did Mary feel this way when Jesus was on the cross? Though Mary didn't have the control that I did, she knew her first born son had to endure the cross. She didn't try to defend him, she didn't make excuses for him, she didn't try to plea the case that he didn't deserve to die a criminal death. She knew that that very moment of Him hanging on that cross was what His life was about, to die for you and me. He had to do it to complete His father's will.

Watching my son getting worked over by two black belts doesn't compare to what Mary went through, I know that. But, God used that black belt test to show me that sometimes I have to be silent for the sake of God's will. I will not always understand why things work the way they do, but God does. It is His perfect will, and sometimes I need to step back and watch Him work.

Ro 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
(KJV)