The Banner of Christ Newsletter

“Standing up for the truth is one way to demonstrate the greatness of Courage and perseverance.”  DEM

 Courage and Tenacity by Dr. McCain

             Everyone seems to enjoy movies and stories about those who have shown themselves to be courageous.  The courage and fortitude of soldiers, fireman, policeman and others who serve reminds us to be thankful for them but also challenges us personally.  How would we measure up to that standard of courage?  Do we have the tenacity (indomitable spirit) that it takes to overcome obstacles or barriers that stand in the way of be courageous?  Take a minute to think of areas where you must show some courage:

1.      Willingness to do the right thing at school
2.      Courage to face opposition at school, when asked to use drugs
3.      Defeating embarrassment, when asked to perform in front of other people
4.      Asking questions at the right time during class
5.      Giving a loud Kiyup during Taekwondo
6.      Standing for the truth, when others tell lies

These areas of everyday life, and many others, present themselves to us each day. Our response to the challenges, difficulties and temptations, often give us the opportunity to show our personal courage and test our indomitable spirit.

Our parents show courage when they go to work everyday, pay bills, raise a family, pay their bills, and just live their lives.  Children can show courage by listening and obeying their parents, following instructions and guidelines at school, saying no to drugs and alcohol, and being loyal to friends.  There is much to think about when it comes to courage and indomitable spirit.

You can be successful in showing courage and tenacity simply by doing the right thing, all the time.

CHILDREN’S CORNER:  Telling the Truth by Mrs. Barbara McCain

“Integrity” is a word that many consider a “big people” word, yet every Mid-California Taekwondo student, regardless of age, repeats this word each week in class.  It is part of the tenets, or life principles, of Taekwondo for each student.  What does “integrity” mean?  And … what does “integrity” mean to you?

Part of integrity is telling the truth, and telling the truth all the time.  That means, when you promised in Taekwondo last week to have integrity, you promised to tell the truth to your parents when they ask you a question at home, even if the answer will show you have done wrong or made a mistake.  The Bible tells us that love rejoices in the truth!  Your parents love you and want God’s best for you.  When you tell the truth, even if it is hard, even if it means you might get punished for doing wrong, your parents will be happy and proud that you were truthful.  Dr. McCain and I told our children that if they did something wrong, if they came and told us the truth, we would honor them even if they had to be punished for disobedience.  But if they lied about something, they would receive double punishment – one for the disobedience and one for the lie.  There is a big reward in telling the truth!  It is the happiness and peace you have deep in your heart because you know that you have done right in God’s eyes.  It is also the respect of others, including your parents.  It might even mean a reward of something special you have wanted for a long time!

Another part of “integrity” is being loyal.  That means we are not divided in our loyalties.  If we are a friend to someone on Monday, we will continue to be one on Thursday… even if something difficult happens in their lives or someone else teases us.  It means we will tell the truth at home and we will tell the truth at school.  We will be honest when we take a test and we will be honest when we play a game.  Friends can trust someone who has integrity.   If you get used to being undivided in your life, when you grow up, people will trust you with important jobs.  God will trust you with responsibility.

Not having integrity is not only a sign of poor character, but it is a sin.  In Proverbs 6:16, God says: These six things doth the Lord hate, yea, seven are an abomination to Him: The next verses tell us that the second in the list of things God hates is a lying tongue.   And the sixth thing is a false witness that speaketh lies.  If two out of seven of the things God absolutely hates have to do with telling lies, then if we want to please God we ought to hate lying, too.  We should always want to tell the truth.  We should always want to have integrity.

God loves you so much that He promises in His Word that we are to be sure that our sins will be found out.  God knows everything we do, every word we speak.  He knows when we tell the truth and He knows when we lie.  He wants our character to be like that of Jesus Christ, in whom no sin was found.  Jesus never lied and He always told the truth.  We can rely on Him.  We can trust Him.  He always has integrity and is undivided in His love for us.

The next time that you say the Tenets of Taekwondo, remember that you are making a promise to live your life with those principles firmly in place.  Remember that you have promised to have integrity in your life, not just in Taekwondo class, but at home, at school and everywhere you go this week!

 
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