Fear Does Not Exist In This Dojo
Many times, we see something in nature, hear something in a conversation, song or video, or sense something in the world around us that reminds us of something greater than the thing currently holding our attention. These thing are called signs or symbols.
Symbols are like signpost pointing us in the direction of the greater object, idea, or value.
Take for example, the quote from the movie Karate Kid: “Fear does not exist in this Dojo…”. It’s a classic, and it’s been used as a meme a thousand times over. I’ve heard it countless times in humorous situations, but I never paid attention to the sign—to the deeper meaning of the statement in those moment of levity.
Driving into work one morning, I was wrestling with an anxious thought. I was doing my best to settle my soul in its rightful place, when all of a sudden this quote came out my mouth from the deep recesses of my long term memory. The moment I spoke those words, anxiety was instantly laid to rest; so was my soul. For the rest of drive, my mind turned these words over and over. Especially the word “Dojo”. I was so intrigued by it that I looking it up as soon as I got to the office. What I found was surprising and inspiring.
According to Wikipedia “A dōjō (道場) is a hall or space for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the Way" in Japanese.” (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dojo)
Isn’t that cool! It literally means “place of the Way”! This reminded me of the earliest name the followers of Yeshua, who used to refer to themselves by: The Way. It wasn’t until later that believers of Yeshua would be known by the name Christian.
Reading further on into the article, I learned that dojos were places built on temple grounds. What does that symbolism remind you of? Our bodies? 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?”
By the way, it doesn’t say soul or spirit. It says our bodies are the temples, the holy habitation of limitless God. This is significant! He is very much interested in your body as much as he is with the other two-thirds of your being. Let that sink in a bit.
Looking at this as a whole, we see that we are a divine temple that includes a place we’ll call “place of the way” or ways. Some have referred to it as the ancient gates connecting heaven and earth within us. I’ve often described it as the garden of the heart, where the river of life flows out of the gates of eternity into soul & body. Whatever the terminology, it is most certainly a transition place between the spirit, soul and body.
And it is in this place where we turn inward for “immersive learning or meditation”; for training.
Additionally, in traditional Dojos, the rules of the place would be on written on paper and displayed on the front walls. This was for the purpose of student’s remembering proper respect and procedures for being in that place. It is very much like Proverbs 7:2-3:
“Keep my commandments and live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Tie them to your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.”
In the same way, when we declare: “Fear does not exist in this Dojo!” It becomes a sign posted in our heart and a statement of alignment, which serves to remind us who we are in Christ and the Kingdom of heaven.
Since discovering this revelatory “signpost”, I’ve taken it and began to insert other words in place of “fear” to broaden it’s application to encompass other areas that need transformation in my life. For example, sickness doesn’t exist in this Dojo! Lack doesn’t exist in this Dojo! As such, these and other declarations have become very strong transformational alignment for soul and body.
The next time you are out and about in the world, pay attention to the signs and symbols around you. You may just find yourself standing in front of a signpost pointing to your next revelation and breakthrough.
As you become aware of the signs around you, take these opportunities to begin to understand their depth and impact upon your life, and continue to pursue the you He design you to be!