“Because when I am weak, then am I strong." ~ 2
Corinthians 12:10
In a world where middle school was his
kingdom, baseball his passion and weight training his secret pastime, Jeremy’s
life was as close to perfect as a 10-year old’s could be. That was until the tragic car accident that
took his father’s life and his own right arm.
To help restore the boy’s confidence and continue his love
for athletics, his grandfather suggested Jeremy try Judo. “It’s a wonderful alternative to team sports,”
he said. “Judo also provides an
education for life - teaching you self-respect, discipline and respect for
other people."
The two visited the local Dojo (training place) to meet the Sensei or Judo training Master.
Sensei stuck out a hand to
shake Jeremy’s and felt his face flush with embarrassment at the sight of an
arm that tapered off mid-bicep. “Unique
. . . but not impossible!” Sensei muttered.
Jeremy began his study eagerly. Sensei
showed him one technique and had him practice it over and over. Jeremy worked on his balance and conditioning,
using this one skill as the foundation.
After a few weeks, he asked: “Sensei,
shouldn’t I be learning more techniques?”
Sensei replied
curtly, “When you’ve mastered this one, you’ll learn more. Keep practicing!”
Trusting the Master, Jeremy kept training. Several months later, Sensei entered him in his first tournament.
Jeremy was terrified; he only knew one throw. But to everyone’s surprise, Jeremy grabbed
his opponent and flipped him to the ground.
Instant win!
The second round was a little harder but again he pulled off
the only technique he knew, and won easily.
The next rounds followed a similar pattern until the boy found himself
in the tournament final. Jeremy looked
overmatched; his opponent was bigger, stronger and clearly more experienced. Fearing for Jeremy’s safety, the referee asked
Sensei if he wanted to forfeit.
“Never!” said the Master. “We will fight!”
The crown went silent with apprehension. His adversary grabbed Jeremy and pulled him
close. For an instant it appeared to be
all over. But rather than resisting, the
one-armed boy used his opponent’s own momentum against him and threw him flat
on his back, to win the match!
Later Jeremy asked Sensei
– “Did they let me win because I’ve only one arm? I only know one technique – those guys knew
hundreds!”
Sensei replied,
“You won for two reasons! First, you
mastered one of Judo’s most difficult throws.
Second, the only known defense for that move is for your challenger to
grab your right arm.”
What appeared to be an incredible weakness – was in fact an
improbable strength. Imperfections can
be our greatest assets. Instead of
asking God to remove the things that plague us - laziness, pride, depression, financial
hardships, maybe we should pray for Him to be our strength in all these things.
Master, sometimes we hide, ignore or
compensate for our limitations because of pain or embarrassment. Keep me weak, so that You might be my
strength. Amen
