I used to be a martial arts instructor. When I first started getting involved in Martial Arts it was all about boxing, kickboxing and stand up fighting in general. As I got older and more aware of statistics that reflected the violence in our society, my interest in practical self-defense increased. I wanted to know what to do in any possible realistic scenario. Today, the concept of being aware of our surroundings expanded a little more for me.

         There are many things we can do to protect ourselves without ever having to throw a kick or a punch. You probably have heard police officers; martial arts instructors and others speak about the importance of being aware of our surroundings. This is probably the number one and more effective self-defense technique of all.

         As a society, we have become more distracted and more focus on ourselves. It is common to see somebody on a red light checking their phones, go online, check social media, texting and so on. Some times we get so into whatever we are doing with our phones, that unless somebody blows the horn we do not even realize the stoplight is now green.

         That kind of distraction does not only make us vulnerable to surprise attacks, but also placed us in a situation where we are unaware of what is going on around us. We can’t see that four-year-old walking by himself on the side of the road because we are too busy checking how many likes we got on our latest Instagram photo, our latest Facebook post or Twitter. So we can’t see the woman who is obviously in distress in need of a God bless you, a smile or somebody who genuinely show that they care. In our own homes we can’t see the kitchen that needs to be clean, we can’t see the husbands and wives struggling with some issues; we can’t see that our children are standing in need of attention and correction; that the living room needs to be organize, that the trash in the bathroom needs to be pick up and the list goes on and on.

         We have become a bunch of distracted and selfish people who can careless about what is going on in our surroundings. Our lives are focus on me, myself and I. Galatians 6:2 tells us, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (NIV) The word carry is the Greek word bastázō; meaning, “To take up and hold, to bear.^[1] To carry each other’s burden is more than a once a year good deed; we are called to carry that burden and hold it until that person is ready to carry that burden herself.

         Romans 15:1 tells us, “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.” (NIV) The word please here is the Greek word arésō, meaning “To fit, to adapt, to make one inclined to and to be content with.”^[2] In other words, when our focus is on pleasing ourselves we arraigned our schedule around what is a good fit for us, what is adaptable to our routine and what makes us happy. That is the illustration of selfishness. Selfishness and Christianity do not go together.

         You want to know the key to prosperity? Proverbs 11:25 tells us, “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” (NIV) We have got to get into the habit of walking around, not as spoil selfish children, but as walking blessings. Hebrews 13:16 tells us, “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (NIV) This is the kind of lifestyle that blesses the Lord; when we sacrifice for others.

         The heart of the law is love; love God, love others and love yourself. Love is charity… love is doing good. We, as Christians are called to love everybody; even our enemies. Luke 6:27 tells us, “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,” (NIV) Notice that on the first part of this verse Jesus tells us to love our enemies; on the second part he tells is how, “…do good to those who hate you.”

         The reason many of us are not walking or even attempting to walk this essential mandate of Christianity, is because we are not aware of our surroundings. By focusing exclusively on ourselves we violate Christ law; sadly our burdens become heavier as the result of such selfishness. Galatians 6:8 has some harsh words to say about such selfishness, “Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” (NIV) There is nothing more selfish than our flesh.

         So be aware of your surroundings, not only to protect yourself from surprise attacks, but to protect others and to surprise them with a blessing of love, a blessing of hope and the greatest example of all, if need be, to give your own life for the good of a stranger.

^[1] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).

^[2] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).

In today’s world, perhaps more than in any other time in history, it is a greater challenge to be a parent. This is the most rebellious generation ever! I have seen children who don’t know yet how to properly sanitize their derriere, disrespect their parent publicly with no consequences or fear of any.

         Now, let’s face it, we can’t control our children’s hearts, their wants and what moves them to passion. We can’t make them want to do this or that with the right attitude. We can’t control what they will embrace as truth the moment they move out of our homes or even while they are in our homes. In the Bible, we see examples of Godly men whose children turned against them and against God Himself.

         So what do we have control over? We have control over what we allow and don’t allow in our homes; we have control over consequences for those sons and daughter who decide to rebel against what we have established. We have control over declaring and carrying out that we will serve the Lord and the Lord only. For those adult kids who feel that because they are 18 they can do whatever they want and come and go as they please, we have the divine authority to usher them out of our homes and into reality, to a place they can call their own.

         For those 17 and under kids who act as if they know everything and as if we, as parent, must bow down to their fabulousness, to start, 1) we can take away their access to the internet. They can go to the Library for Homework, 2) we can exchange their smart phones for dumb phone from Wal-Mart. I am talking about a phone where the only thing they can do is talk with a limit of 50 minutes a month; after that your phone goes dead automatically. 3) While we are added, they can close every social media they are a part of. If they can live without selfies, we can buy them one of those old fashion Kodak cameras that give you your photo instantly; remember? All you have to do is blow on the photo a few times and boom there is your selfie!  And just because we love them so much, we can buy them an album where they can organize all of their selfies like we used to do back in the day. Oh, if they miss texting and communicating with their social media friends, we can throw in some pens, paper, envelops and stamps so they can write some letters and, we can encourage them to send them their best selfies photos that they took with the Kodak camera.

         In all seriousness, our job is to teach our kids the commands of Jesus and how to abide in them. Our job is to give them life lessons so when they get old, when we are no longer around, they can remember what we tried to teach them. They have the choice to be wise and enjoy the benefits of a Godly life or the wages of a lifestyle of sin.