One Thing.

Balance.  Since the beginning of July, I have been in physical therapy (PT), twice a week, to regain range of motion in my right ankle. In foot terms, I am working on plantar flexion – extension of the ankle resulting in the forefoot moving away from the body and dorsal flexion – flexion of the ankle resulting in the top of the foot moving toward the body.  Toe crunches, stretching the big toe and achilles tendon are also part of every PT session.

During the last couple of weeks I have been working on balancing all of my weight on my right foot/ankle.  In three weeks, Sept. 23, the right ankle needs to “step-up” and carry the load as the left ankle goes under the surgical knife.

Balancing on the new ankle is not easy.  Initially I could only balance for 2-3 seconds. The left foot/ankle, on the other hand, has no problem supporting my body 30+ seconds.  Gradually with a lot of work I am able to balance on the right foot/ankle for 20+ seconds.

Mr. Miyagi.  All of this balancing reminded me of movie, The Karate Kid, starring Mr. Miyagi and Daniel La Russo.  Mr. Miyagi plays the role of surrogate father and karate coach to Daniel. Daniel pursues Mr. Miyagi after he is beaten-up by a bunch of older guys (i.e., thugs). Daniel wants to know karate and how to defend himself.  Miyagi imparts not only karate techniques, but life values to him.  Daniel ultimately battles these thugs in a karate tournament and it comes down to facing the best one in the championship match.

Daniel fights injured throughout a number of the matches in the tournament.  He does not have full use of one leg.  As he fights through the championship round, it comes down to a move he learned on one leg.  The stance for the move is captured in the photo above.  Daniel uses this move to win the final point that captures the karate tournament championship!  This scene is a bit anti-climatic since it is at the end of the movie.  It is best if you watch the movie from start to finish to get the entire impact of this scene.

I am not Daniel by any stretch in terms of athletic ability or balancing yet.  But his balancing reminded me of the one thing that was important to him: being able to defend himself and win the karate tournament.

One Thing.  The Word is clear in the one thing I need to pursue:  Seek the Lord Jesus Christ, abide in Him, and live for His glory daily.  This theme is found in both the Old and New Testaments.

“One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple” (Psalm 27:4).

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).

What is the One Thing you are pursuing?