Ever since I can remember I have always had a adolescence fascination with the ancient Japanese culture of the Samurai. I have a collection of books focused on Samurai's thought process, culture rituals, and essentially the "Way of the Samurai". I never really looked back and understood what I found so fascinating about this culture. Yes, they were great warriors, a attribute which I find quite appealing. Along with being great artists, men loaded with wisdom, along with many other attributes which I found appealing. However, even with these great attributes, there was something else I was fascinated with Samurai. After thinking about it I think I found it. What I was so fascinated with, was the Samurai's focus, their discipline. They dedicated every waking moment for the perfection of their craft. Let me explain......
Samurai literally means "to serve", and according to Hagakure, "The way of the Samurai is found in death". Samurais dedicated their live to the mastery of their craft. They honor their craft and found life in it, and at the moment their life's work was stained or dishonored, they could not bear the shame of it. So they commit a form of suicide. Do you see the discipline in this? They lived there live focused on one thing and one thing only. They disciplined themselves to live Simplicity to achieve something beyond themselves. They were willing to give up their lives because their simplicity has just become stained, blemished. We as Christians are called to give up our lives to achieve something greater then ourselves, something Godly.
It amazes my how God has wrote the redemption story on the hearts of all men since the beginning of time. Hagakure says it all, "The way of the Samurai is found in death". Additionally the way of a Christian is found in death. "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it." -Luke 9:24 KJV. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.- Matthew 10:39 KJV. Just as Samurais did, Christians should dedicate every waking moment for the mastery of glory to God. We should live radically abandoned to the pursuit of Jesus Christ, that we would gladly give up our lives for it. The way of the Christian is found in death. We as Christians should live our lives as one minded people. And our one mind is become radically abandoned to Jesus Christ, the savior of the world. True life will be found in Simplicity.
Samurai literally means "to serve", and according to Hagakure, "The way of the Samurai is found in death". Samurais dedicated their live to the mastery of their craft. They honor their craft and found life in it, and at the moment their life's work was stained or dishonored, they could not bear the shame of it. So they commit a form of suicide. Do you see the discipline in this? They lived there live focused on one thing and one thing only. They disciplined themselves to live Simplicity to achieve something beyond themselves. They were willing to give up their lives because their simplicity has just become stained, blemished. We as Christians are called to give up our lives to achieve something greater then ourselves, something Godly.
It amazes my how God has wrote the redemption story on the hearts of all men since the beginning of time. Hagakure says it all, "The way of the Samurai is found in death". Additionally the way of a Christian is found in death. "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it." -Luke 9:24 KJV. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.- Matthew 10:39 KJV. Just as Samurais did, Christians should dedicate every waking moment for the mastery of glory to God. We should live radically abandoned to the pursuit of Jesus Christ, that we would gladly give up our lives for it. The way of the Christian is found in death. We as Christians should live our lives as one minded people. And our one mind is become radically abandoned to Jesus Christ, the savior of the world. True life will be found in Simplicity.
