A White-Belt Mentality

Scripture

25At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. 26Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!  Matthew 11:25-26

Observation

In stark contrast to the cities of  Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum who were too proud to see that God was working among them, Jesus is looking at His disciples and seeing something praiseworthy. He thanked His Father for this beautiful strategy of using those with childlike faith. Childlike not childish. They had the humility and curiosity to learn an entirely new way of doing life. They left behind their generational careers to follow Jesus into the unknown. It’s easy to forget we are all beginners when it comes to faith. In this same chapter John the Baptist, the very one who proclaimed Jesus as “The Lamb of God” was beginning to doubt Jesus was the Messiah. If Jesus used his momentum with the crowds to overthrow Roman rule John would be free from his prison bars.  Even he thought he knew how this was going to play out and when Jesus didn’t meet his expectations he sent his followers to double check. The longer we follow Jesus the easier it is to want to lead Jesus. John was in a box and wanted to put Jesus in one too, but Jesus had an altogether different plan for redemption.

Application

In Jiu Jitsu the different belt colors represent different levels of skill and mastery of the fighting style.

White Belt – Beginner

Blue Belt – Basic proficiency

Purple Belt – Intermediate, deeper technical knowledge

Brown Belt – Advanced, high-level technique and strategy

Black Belt – Expert, mastery of fundamentals and teaching ability

After black belt, there are degrees and coral belts (for very high-ranking and experienced black belts):

Red/Black Belt (Coral Belt) – 7th degree black belt

Red/White Belt (Coral Belt) – 8th degree black belt

Red Belt – 9th and 10th degrees, reserved for pioneers and legends of the sport.  The quote "Stay a white belt no matter how skilled you get" is often attributed to Chris Matakas, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and author. In his book The Tao of Jiu Jitsu, he emphasizes the idea of lifelong learning, humility, and maintaining a beginner’s mindset—something central to martial arts philosophy but applicable to many areas of life. The "white belt mentality" is about staying curious, open, and humble, even as you grow in expertise. It’s a reminder that mastery doesn't make me The Master. If it pleased The Father to reveal His plans to the childlike with His first disciples it stands to reason He is still pleased to do it this way with His 21st Century Disciples. I’ve been a Christian for most of my life having given my life to Jesus at my bedside when I was six years old. It’s easy for me to forget I’m still a white belt when it comes to the ways of Jesus. Recently, I’ve been on an exciting journey as we are looking to launch a monthly young adults service at The Father’s House. Most of the team that has come together are new believers. Their faith is high and their zeal is strong and their ideas are big! If I’m not careful my expertise will get in the way of the new thing God is revealing through these Young Adults. Woody reminded us this morning that the difference between adults and children is the loss of imagination, wonder and hope. I have so much to learn from these Young Adults for it appears I’ve started thinking very small.

Prayer

Lord, I humble myself before Your throne of grace. You are bringing new wine in new wine skins and I don’t want to be the one clinging to the old ways You’ve moved in before. Let me continue to be a life long learner. Let me come before You with a childlike faith. It’s human nature to cling to what we knew instead of being open to the new thing You want to do. I lay down my pride and open myself up for what You want to reveal that I’ve never thought about before! You’re not looking for experts. You’re looking for the childlike heart.