Tae Kwon Do and Community
Last Spring, I wrote a blog post called “Christian Martial Arts?“. In the post I talked about how our children took part in a Tae Kwon Do tournament with their marital arts school. The school is run by Cheryl, a good friend of ours, who sees Tae Kwon Do as more than physical fitness. She also sees it as an opportunity to disciple about twenty students.
Today, Cheryl’s school participated in a Tae Kwon Do tournament again. I’ll probably post videos and pictures on our family blog in the next few days. It was great to see her students do well in the tournament. But, it was even more encouraging to see the students respond to Cheryl and their friends, as well as the other competitors and the judges. I did not hear any negative comments or disrespect. They were very encouraging to one another.
Several families came to watch the tournament – families who do not have children taking Tae Kwon Do – but, they came anyway to support Cheryl and her students. We prayed together; talked together; talked to other people; hugged the students.
At the end of the day, when only the adults were left to compete, most of the children had left – except Cheryl’s school. Almost all of her students and their parents and friends stayed to cheer her on as she won her own division. Why? Because Cheryl is more than a teacher to them. She is a friend, and a discipler. She teaches them more than Tae Kwon Do. She teaches them what it means to follow Christ in everything that you do – including Tae Kwon Do.