How the Apostle Paul is Like Bruce Lee

Ever consider the similarities between the Apostle Paul and Bruce Lee? Aside from their mastery of the Eagle Claw Death Touch, I mean.

If not, consider the similarities between this philosophy:

19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.

And this philosophy:

(Look at the mad intensity in those eyes. You better believe that Paul was exactly like that.)

Christians give a lot of thought to Paul’s admonition to be “all things to all people,” but maybe they don’t think about it quite the right way.

They tend to see it in an additive way — being all things to all people depends on what we produce out of ourselves. And for each new situation we encounter we have to produce more, do more. That’s tough, and it puts a lot of pressure on you while you’re introducing yourself around at a party.

But maybe we should look at it more in a reductive way, like Bruce. Maybe being all things to all people means falling into the shape of the situation the way water falls into the shape of its container. Maybe it means stripping away everything that’s unnecessary so that you can flow to the place people need you to be.

Mind like water. Just a thought. And yes, I wrote this post mostly because I want to be the number one result when people type “Apostle Paul vs. Bruce Lee” into Google.