Lessons From the Dojo

If you haven't already heard, my family and I take martial arts classes and love it! After a grueling class on technique last week, I sat down to write one of the devotionals I've mentioned to you all before.

Since you've seen my broken boards and many of you have seen the ankle braces and finger braces and bruises... I figured you all might like to see one of the many great things we've gained from martial arts.

Oh, you haven't seen the board pic? Well... here it is. ;-) And yes, I broke it all by my self. ;-)

And here's the devotional. Enjoy!

We love Tao Hsieh Wu Shu! I could do without the running before almost every class, but what we learn and how we’ve grown is worth the difficulty of running.

We’ve broken boards~ big, 1 inch thick, oak-like wood. Okay, maybe not oak, but they weren’t balsa either. ;-)

We’ve learned kicks and stances and punches and…most of all we’ve learned discipline, respect, and that technique matters.

And after a very focused class on technique, it dawned on me that technique matters in our walk with the Lord too.

No, not the check-off-boxes-and–feel-good kind of technique. But the basics: praise, confession, all-out honesty before the Lord, and reverence. Forgiving others. Loving well.

Maybe you guys have all that down with a snap. But me? Well, I’ve been a believer for twenty-four years and I’m still learning and growing and realizing how much more I have to learn.

In martial arts, if my technique is wrong when I kick, I break my foot. If it’s wrong when I fall, I go boom on the floor and hurt for a long time.

But with the Lord, if my “technique” is wrong, it might not show up right away. It will show up though. Maybe months later when prayer has grown rote or I hold a grudge or there’s a lot of bickering going on at my house.

That’s when I stop and get down on my knees asking why. The Lord has always been gracious to show me too. And to welcome me back with open arms.

My family adores and highly respects our Soke, our martial arts leader. He’s tough but clear that he’s tough on us to make us better and keep us safe.

Even more, my family and I love Jesus. And He’s tough too because He knows all the amazing things He’s created us for and knows exactly how to prepare us. He’s also loving and compassionate and just and so very much more.

So join me in brushing up on our “techniques” with the Lord. Let’s jump in to cheer each other on too. We can do that a million unique ways: lend a hand when there's a need, offer a kind word or a written prayer, call to say hi…they may seem “little” but they’re not.

They have more power than someone breaking concrete blocks.