You have given me a choice
I can have the world
or I can have you
and I choose you
in my frailty and frustration
I choose you
in my pride and confusion
I choose you
in my grief and suffering
I choose you
in my joy and elation
I choose you
imperfectly and inconsistently
I choose you
God please
grant me the strength
to choose you
CHOOSING YOU
By Robert Van Valkenburgh
Meditations of a Gentle Warrior
To read my longer writing, subscribe at robertvanvalkenburgh.com
God wants you to rest
in Him
He wants you to come to Him
with your troubles
your worries and your weariness
He wants you to find comfort
in His embrace
and peace
in His ways
but He wants you to want this
He will never impose His will
or force Himself upon you
it has to be your choice
to choose Him
TO CHOOSE HIM
By Robert Van Valkenburgh
Meditations of a Gentle Warrior
To read my longer writing, subscribe at robertvanvalkenburgh.com
You get to choose how you feel about this.
You do not have to take it personally.
It does not have to be perceived as a slight against you.
What others do does not have to concern you or bother you.
It probably has nothing to do with you.
Most people are thinking about themselves, not about you.
But what others think about you is none of your business anyway.
You are responsible for your own thoughts, attitudes, and actions.
Do not let what others think, say, or do determine your fate.
Choose your own path and make your own way.
With the right attitude and the right focus, and with your actions aligned toward these, the right people will accompany you along the way.
As soon as we lose our compassion for one another, we lose our humanity.
Compassion is what separates us from the animals.
Of course, we do not need compassion to have intellects or free will, but these are wasted without it.
Without compassion, we are not much more than overly intelligent beasts determined to destroy ourselves and one another.
Compassion should guide our intellect.
Compassion is the proper use of free will.
Once we have lost our compassion, we have lost our way.
Compassion is not required of us, but it certainly does help.
We do not have to be kind, understanding, generous, gracious, or forgiving.
There are plenty of other options available to us in every moment.
In fact, many people get quite far in this life by being the opposite of these things.
We must make the choice to be compassionate on our own, often with no promise of immediate reward or benefit.
No one can force, manipulate, or even talk us into compassion, at least not in any sort of meaningful, lasting, or transformative way.
Quite often, compassion must be chosen for its own sake and as its own reward.
This can make it a very difficult choice to make.
There are many far easier things to be in this life than compassionate.
And yet, there are very few things more worthwhile, rewarding, or life changing than compassion.
Compassion is not required of us, but the world is a much better place if we chose it.
Holistic Budo: As it is in budo, so too it is in life. As it is in life, so too it is in budo.
Robert Van Valkenburgh is co-founder of Taikyoku Mind & Body and Kogen Dojo where he teaches Taikyoku Budo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
All photos by Robert Van Valkenburgh unless otherwise noted.
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Meditations on God 