What Does Faith and God Have to Do With Becoming a Ninja?

I got on my knees. I looked at the ceiling. I cried. And then I admitted it…

I am weak, I feel alone, I am scared, I can’t do this on my own! Do you even exist? Are you real? Please be real. HELP ME. I need your help. I don’t know what to do. I’m lost.

For the first time in my life – I was trying to talk to God

It’s Scary to Admit This

Soon thereafter I found myself attending a Sunday Service. I had no idea what they were talking about. Half the time it didn’t even sound like English.

Yet, I found myself feeling at peace, relaxed, calm.

Week after week, I kept going. It’s funny looking back on it, 3 years ago to be exact. I had no clue what those dudes up front were talking about. They were reading text from this massive book. People’s hands were raised high, music was blaring, people kept on talking about this dude named Jesus.

All I could say to myself was “I got no idea what they’re talking about… But I definitely feel better when I come here”

I Will Not Lie To You

For the past 6 months I have wanted to write this post. But I’ve been scared to do it.

Religion, spirituality, God – they are sensitive topics. What if people get angry? What if people think I’m trying to convert them? Will this turn people off?

But it’s not about me – it’s about the truth. I talk about goals, discipline, focus, money, and sacrifice all as critical components to achieve a dream.

I discuss my life because because it’s evidence you can follow a dream. I have identified the pieces of the puzzle to discover and live my dream. I share my pieces with you – so you can live it as well.

If I don’t share how Faith has impacted me… I’m hiding my own truth. [Click to Tweet]

Don’t misunderstand me – this isn’t a story to convert you. It’s not about that. It’s about expressing the most critical components that has allowed me to live my dream.

My Faith and Dream are One

In stepping forward to pursue my dream I have developed immense faith in God.

I’m all about goals, plans, budgets, and organization but at the core- is my faith. [Click to Tweet]

This post is about telling the truth. It’s about no longer hiding the single most important reason I am following my dream: The pursuit of my dream is about deepening my relationship with God.

The Undeniable Impact Faith Has On My Dream

There are a variety of specific ways that my faith has impacted my dream. Below I share 8 of these.

1. It Has Pushed Me Through in Moments of Doubt

I have had moments of tears, doubt and insecurity. I have had so many chances to give up. But every time I get close to quitting, I am forced to challenge myself “Do I really have faith?” “God, I must learn to trust you.”

I now see challenge and struggle as an opportunity to deepen my relationship with God. Anyone can have faith when all is good – it’s when the struggle arises that faith is tested.

2. I Am Action Oriented

The only way to prove I have faith is to take action. Anyone can sit on a couch all day long praying. But true faith means that we step out into the world, do something that scares  us and trust that it will work out for the better.

3. It’s Not About The Outcome, It’s about Connecting to God

Moment after moment I am forced to admit “I have no idea how this will turn out”. When I moved to Japan I had no idea what I was getting into. I took action and felt at peace as I would continually tell myself “God, I’ll play my part and you’ll play yours.”

As I face situation after situation and somehow make it through- my awe and amazement of God increases.

4. Every “Failure” is Viewed as a Blessing

Because I believe God is guiding me, I see “failure” (for lack of a better word) as something that I have been given to accelerate my learning. I have been handed this to teach me. Every time I fail and push through I become stronger mentally and better able to handle the next challenge that comes my way. I thank God for each “failure”.

5. The Dream is No Longer “Just About Me”

I didn’t plan to start a blog when I came to Japan. I’d lived here for 7 months before I wrote one blog post. The idea came to me at in the midst of the night, at 2am. I suddenly woke up, flung myself out of bed and said out loud:

“Oh my God! I need to start sharing this.”

… … Then I went back to sleep. The next day The 30 Year Old Ninja began. Now, this dream is no longer just about me and what I want to do. I feel compelled to move forward by a force beyond me. It’s about learning exactly what it takes to follow a dream and sharing that with you.

The reason I feel so strongly that you need to follow your dream is because I believe it can connect you with God.

6. I Am Comfortable With Ambiguity

Ambiguity is always scary – but now, I am able to step back, close my eyes, take a breath, and remind myself “This is an opportunity to strengthen my faith”.

7. Everyday Matters

I don’t sit at my place thinking “I can’t wait to achieve my dream” – rather I think “I can’t wait to take on today!” Each and every moment is an opportunity to deepen my relationship with the creator of the universe. This drives me out of bed and thrusts me forward into the excitement of each day.

If pursuing my dream is about connecting to God then each and everyday is an opportunity to do this. Therefore every day of my life really does matter. That’s a wonderful feeling.

8. It Teaches Me To Enjoy The Mystery

I’ll admit it – I can be a little bit intense sometimes. I love goals, planning, organization, and daily objectives. I can get caught up in trying to do a million things at one time.

My faith allows me to step back and just breathe. It forces me to slow down and appreciate the beauty in all the madness. Everyday I try to take a moment to just look at what is happening around me – thousands of people running from place to place. All of us with incredibly complex minds with millions of thoughts – and yet, all of us just want to feel happiness and peace of mind. It’s wild, crazy, and beautiful all at the same time.

Please Do Not Misunderstand

This post isn’t about pushing my religious beliefs upon you. Rather it’s about sharing the single most important piece of the puzzle in the pursuit of my dream.

Without my relationship to God – I would have never tried to become a ninja. [Click to Tweet]

Please don’t take this in a manner it wasn’t intended. It’s about telling my truth – plain and simple :) .

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  • David

    Izzy,

    Speak the Truth, those who are ready will hear it and understand.

    • http://www.30yearoldninja.com/ Izmael Arkin

      Hi David :) .

      I wrote this to share a piece of my life. If there is one thing I want people to take away from this post is that faith can have a positive impact on someone’s life. It isn’t about trying to convert anyone – it’s just about sharing my own truth :) .

      Thanks for commenting man!

  • Shane

    First of all, Iz, I’d like to say that the title of this post is, at least to me, sheer awesome, lol. Second, I love how you touched on the subject of spirituality without being too preachy. A lot of people resist hearing about God simply because the people talking are throwing it at ‘em. God himself says “whosoever will”, so we shouldn’t force God on people. Wonderful job, Izzy-domo!

    • http://www.30yearoldninja.com/ Izmael Arkin

      Haha! That’s quite a nickname you gave there Shane.

      When I wrote this post, the last thing I wanted to do was preach at people. People preaching at me is what kept me out of a church for the first 26 years of my life. Funny how that works: People with good intentions end and bad approaches end up killing any opportunity of what they set out do in the first place.

      I’m very happy to hear it didn’t come off as preachy.

      Thank you for taking the time to comment Shane :) .

      • Shane

        I grew up in church. It took me, at age 22, to basically say “I need a break until I understand what this is all about”. Nowadays, I’m a bit clearer on the answers. But I hate when it’s thrown at me or anyone else.

        • http://www.30yearoldninja.com/ Izmael Arkin

          I couldn’t agree with you more man. It’s a crazy thing to me that people thing that it is a good thing to “tell people they must follow their religion”. It just doesn’t make any sense. AS humans we hate being told “you must do (insert anything)” Yet, many folks still choose to do this.

          It’s really too bad because it turns off so many people and does a massive disservice to what a relationship with God should be all about.

          Keep on searching my man – if you ever have any question please feel free to email me at izzy@30yearoldninja.com :) .

          • Shane

            Will do, Izzy. Thanks for doing you, bro!

  • Suzanne Stormon

    Izzy, It’s so refreshing to see you coming out with this. It is risky but you followed your heart and let us in on it. That has got to set you free to do even more. Reading the comments on your last post, I get the feeling that there is no particular religious majority in your readers; I hope we can keep the conversation welcoming to all.

    • http://www.30yearoldninja.com/ Izmael Arkin

      Well Suzy I must admit that I have been blown away by The 30 Year Old Ninja community! You are correct, there doesn’t seem to be any dominant spiritual perspective. That being said, everyone has been nothing but open minded and extremely respectful of each other’s views (I’m basing this on comments from the last post, this post, and emails).

      It’s a really important part of my life so I felt that I needed to share it. Yes, it does feel good to tell this :) .

  • Gordon

    It is refreshing to have a Christian talking about personal development

    • http://www.30yearoldninja.com/ Izmael Arkin

      Thank you for saying that Gordon :) .

  • Jamie Alexander

    I was wondering how you managed to write thousands of posts, train all day AND work.

    You never said it was because you had someone helping you lol

    I think everyone should go with whatever makes they strive to accomplish stuff, so well done.

    I think I’m more into this Buddhism thing, but we can argue about who would win in a fight out of God and Buddha another time :)

    • http://www.30yearoldninja.com/ Izmael Arkin

      Hahaha! Nice! That’s the equivalent of two 10 year olds arguing over “My sensei can beat up your sensei”. Yes, we can save that epic battle for another time. Though, based on my knowledge (which is minimal) both of our spiritual Heads (not sure if that’s a fitting title) wouldn’t be very supportive of our idea to debate on who would win in all out brawl.

      Though, it would be the pay-per-view event of the century… Jesus Vs. Buddha. Jesus would just keep forgiving and Buddha would remove all emotion from the situation.

      That was blasphemy wasn’t it :) .

  • http://twitter.com/DeanMastern Dean

    What you said in #7: …Each and every moment is an opportunity to deepen my relationship with
    the creator of the universe. This drives me out of bed and thrusts me
    forward into the excitement of each day.

    Awesome!

    Thanks!

    • http://www.30yearoldninja.com/ Izmael Arkin

      Yo Dean! It’s great to see you over here in the comments man. You are twitter sharing machine! I’m really glad this post resonated with you. I put it out there with that hope, and also to let people know where I’m coming from.

      By the way – thank you for all the twitter shares.

  • Paul

    I’m glad you put it out there. I think a lot of people have different times in their life when they have to come to terms with their faith and what they believe in. So many people are going through life on auto pilot like sheep and never take the time to examine what it is that they believe. Faith and the ability to have faith in yourself to guide you along any journey gives you the fuel to go on. ACTION is what makes it real. Glad you shared the views. By the way when you going to do another great video with your friend. I love to see the back ground of where you are at.

    By the way what is your end game. How long will you stay there to learn to be the ninja and then what comes next?

    • http://www.30yearoldninja.com/ Izmael Arkin

      Hi Paul :) .

      Yeah man – you got it! Action is what makes faith real. At least in my opinion. Kenji and I are working on another project – but this ones gonna be way better! But’s it’s gonna take some time before it goes live.

      In terms of an end game – there is no end game! This is my life man. I’m all in. I’m on a life long pursuit to study martial arts. I’m not exactly sure where that is going to take me… Let’s just say I have “faith” that if I keep moving forward the answers will come :) .

  • Regina

    Hi Izzy!

    Thank you so much for sharing this. You absolutely echo my beliefs. I’d like to share something with you as well. A post from my blog, fromseatoshiningc.wordpress.com called Divine Intervention. I know that God is alive and that He wants us to honor Him by living the best lives we can. Thank you.

    • http://www.30yearoldninja.com/ Izmael Arkin

      I’m really glad it resonated with you Regina :) . I shared this because It’s a massive piece of the puzzle that has helped me follow my dream. I recently realized I was holding this back.

      I will throw out this thought – I think that faith is a mystery to be embraced, not necessarily solved. Yes, I think God wants us to live a wonderful life, but I think we don’t necessarily always know what he is going to put us through to get there. So, I am always a little hesitant to just say to people “God wants you live a great life” because some people misunderstand that in terms of short term pleasure.

      Can you link to the specific post you are talking about? It’s much easier for me that way. Then I’ll check it out.

  • Sean

    Wait. Wait. Reasonable discussions about belief, faith, and religion? And on the internet to boot? Folks… I think we have proof that we can accomplish any goal, for we have already done the impossible.

    On a serious note. It is indeed refreshing to see this type of thing being discussed w/o the preachiness. Rock on, Izzy.

    • http://www.30yearoldninja.com/ Izmael Arkin

      Hi Sean :) . I must admit I have been blown away by The 30 Year Old Ninja community.

      Looking at the last post (in which you added a ton of value with your awesome comments!), and the comments on this post I am really happy to see how open, articulate and honest this community is.

      After reading the comments from the last Ask The Readers post (about faith) I decided it was time for me to share where I’m coming from.

      Faith and God are topics that a lot of people get really angry about.

      But for me – it’s not about telling people “do what I do” – it’s more just sharing what I do :) . If it works for people that is wonderful. If it doesn’t than I hope they can find someone they do connect with.

      It makes me want to kick people in the nuts when they preach at me – so I’m very glad it did not come off that way.

      Thanks for taking the time to always leave a comment Sean.

  • http://friendshipsociety.net/ Eric West | Friendship Society

    I like to think that everyone has a path to follow. For some a big part of that includes finding a religion or faith to believe in and get support from. It’s good that you found your path. I also like the way you share it. I don’t like it when people get to preachy, and you simply shared your personal experiences.

    • http://www.30yearoldninja.com/ Izmael Arkin

      I’m really glad you understood how I mean this Erik. Faith is such a sensitive topic. The last thing I want to do is preach at people.

      In fact, the reason I was turned off to religion (and in particular Christianity) for the first 26 years of my life was because of all my frustrations with being preached at.

      Thanks for taking the time to comment.

  • http://www.vishnusvirtues.com/ Vishnu

    Amen! Preach it bro.

    It’s going to take me awhile to comment on this post because I can’t believe that my favorite ninja blog is taking on God. Once I get over the emotional high of this and praise God a few times, I’m going to leave a comment on your divine lessons.

    Thank you for writing this. Can we meet again in L.A. for another romantic dinner? hahahahahah

    • http://www.30yearoldninja.com/ Izmael Arkin

      I knew you would appreciate this one Vishnu :) . I was even thinking about you when I wrote it (not romantic thoughts, but still pleasant thoughts).

      As soon as my local train in Kyoto starts venturing to Los Angeles we can meet again – or maybe you can just come to Japan.

      • http://www.vishnusvirtues.com/ Vishnu

        Thank you Izzy for the invite. I believe our relationship is progressing well and together we will live a life of faith. As room-mates of course – I know you were asking me this even though you were not saying it. I get you on that level. hahahahahaha

        I love this post because it’s a good summary of how God, spirituality can play a role in our lives. Your conversations with God is excellent – I’ll do my part, you do yours because it accounts for the fact that you’re getting in the game and not letting God do all the heavy lifting.

        Not only has God helped me with getting through doubt as you describe in item 1 but also in giving me full strength and courage that everything will work out at the end.

        So glad you wrote this post and living your life on these principles. I think that’s what connects us Izzy! That and our love of fro yo, humor, and pursuing dreams. But I’ll continue this conversation more on email. haha

        • http://www.30yearoldninja.com/ Izmael Arkin

          Make sure you double check with me before you sell all your things so you can be my roommate. Right now, I don’t have enough room in my refrigerator to store food for the both of us… Yeah that’s it. That’s a good believable reason, right?

          I’m real glad I wrote this post as well ( maybe that’s obvious). I have been thinking about it for a long time. It’s a huge part of my life and I felt wrong continuing to not share it.

  • Ellen Berg

    I’m glad you decided to be vulnerable. The people who don’t like what you have to say? They’re not your perfect people.

    Reading this helped me see my own journey very differently. I now see my personal development as deepening my spirituality–it all connects me to the Divine when I’m hooked in and following my path. In his memoir, Burro Genius, Victor Villasenor says that as a child he felt a little buzzing behind his ears…it’s sort of like that when we’re in that flow state. As someone who turned away from religion (and the dogmatic institution it’s become), it’s been nice to reconnect with my spirituality. Nicely done, Izzy.

    • http://www.30yearoldninja.com/ Izmael Arkin

      Hi Ellen :) .

      For me, the spiritual component of pursuing a dream is the center. When I first started all of this I didn’t know it. I was unhappy and trying to find more in my life. I had no idea that following my dream would help me discover God. This is the reason I feel so strongly that once people get their basic needs meet they must pursue their dreams – It is the opportunity to connect with the Divine :) . I’m really glad you enjoyed it Ellen – It means a lot to me.

  • Lori Z

    Izzy, what an incredible post. I loved hearing your story and I’m so thankful you shared it because it is so, so honest and real. I definitely believe God puts the dreams on our heart, and also allows a way to achieve it. Grant and I are so excited about the passionate journey you have started and it’s so exciting to hear about all your stories along the way. :)

    • http://www.30yearoldninja.com/ Izmael Arkin

      What’s up Lori! I get super excited when any of the Zanini’s drop by with a comment.

      I’m gonna throw it back your way. Being around you and Grant was an inspiration for me! You guys ooze “wonderful people” out of every pore. I felt touched by you two. I know “wonderful people” isn’t exactly a scientific terms but it’s the closest words I could use to explain what I felt.

      Thanks for taking the time to comment.

  • http://twitter.com/balexandros Bryann

    Izzy, many respect points man! It’s great to learn how your faith has helped you on jour journey.

    Long story short, I had a similar reawakening of sorts a while back. I’d say that Spirit requires us to make the first move if we want genuine change. Everything else followed through. I’d use to wait for Spirit to help me out – without realizing it – but it was the other way around.

    Haven’t we talked of “God helping those who help themselves” on this blog before? :D Thanks also for reminding us that we must be proactive, rather than passively believing things will work out!

    • http://www.30yearoldninja.com/ Izmael Arkin

      Yo Bryann :) .

      I like how you put it – “the spirit requires us to make the first move”. By taking the first move we show our faith.

      When I was younger I thougth that God would just give if I asked. I had a “you go first mentality”. Which ended up in me not believing in God. Well, at least not a God that I coudl talk to. Now, I see it very differently. I believe I must get in the game before he can help guide me in it :) .

      Thank you for taking the time to leave such an honest and open comment.

  • Sophie

    I’m glad you wrote this, Izzy. When I first stumbled upon your website, I knew it was a God send. Interestingly, God has been teaching me the same thing: to enjoy every moment in the pursuit of my dream, rather than only thinking of accomplishing my dream, and waiting to enjoy life until I get there. It’s nice to know we are both learning the same thing together. :) I hope you keep writing, I enjoy reading your blog.

    • http://www.30yearoldninja.com/ Izmael Arkin

      Hello Sophie. I’m really happy to hear that your dream is connecting you with God. That is so wonderful.

      Thank you for your kind words. In regards to me “keeping on writing” – I’m all in for life! I won’t ever stop – unless I get my fingers chopped off… But I assume that won’t happen :) .

  • Ultreya Coeur

    Dear Izzy,

    Wonderful post. Actually, I had a very similar experience to yours. About 2 years ago, I found myself on my knees beside my bed, begging God for help. Then literally, I heard a voice within my heart saying “Take the first step, and I will catch you”. (Yes, really.) It took me a year and a half from that experience to take the step of quitting my job in academia, transition to being a stay-at-home mom with my 3 kids, while working on my dream of being a writer (when the kids go to bed). I gave up a prestigious position, financial security, and having a nanny (I think that’s what I miss the most), and, I’ve never been happier. For me, God is the central part of this journey. During a “normal” day, I spend more time talking with Him than with “real” grown-ups. It may sound strange, but I love it. I also started teaching catechism classes to first graders, and I blog about it and my journey with God at

    http://twentytuesdayafternoons.blogspot.ch/

    Just to let you know, I love your blog, and will be following.

    Ultreya

    • http://www.30yearoldninja.com/ Izmael Arkin

      Wow Ultreya. That is beautiful.

      For me, it is a very interesting balance between identifying the voice of God and just living each and everyday. Now, I believe in embracing the mystery. I don’t say with 100 percent certainty that “this is God’s doing”. But I also never say with any certainty “this is not God’s doing”. For me a major part of the journey has been learning to embrace the mystery – not fight it.

      I’m really happy to hear you enjoy my blog.

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