Lessons from Jiu Jitsu, Scripture, and the Hero’s Descent

We often think of humility as weakness, but it is really a strength. In a talk I heard today, the speaker said humility means being close to the ground. He used the example of Jiu Jitsu, a martial art strongest when practiced low to the floor.

That picture opened other connections for me. Jordan Peterson has said that human beings were originally tree creatures — we stayed off the ground because it was unsafe. In myth, the “deep” often represents chaos — the water where danger and the unknown dwell.

The hero, however, is the one willing to descend. He steps down into the unknown, into danger, into the deep, to face the dragon and gain something new. Humility is not about weakness; it is the stance of someone willing to learn.

The adversary, in contrast, is proud. He refuses to bow, refuses to learn, and stays aloof from the ground.

Where is God asking you to “stay close to the ground,” to take the low and humble place so you can learn what you need?

Developed with assistance from ChatGPT-5