“Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” The words of a desperate father seeking the help of Jesus to heal his son. (Mark 9:24)
I find myself thinking of this statement and rewording it slightly. “Lord, I am focused; help thou mine lack of focus.”
Also, I remember Jackie Chan in the most recent Karate Kid movie, “Your focus needs more focus”
This last few weeks has been so full of tragedy and distraction that I find myself struggling to focus on the things upon which I must focus. In my effort to reign in my mind, I remember my years under the instruction of my kung fu teacher, Mark Kimzey, and subtle ways he would help us to focus in our training. Even today, I can’t put my finger on his exact methods but I am very much aware that my ability to focus improved in that time frame.
This ability to push things out of my mind that are demanding its attention and zero in on the here and now has helped me time and time again to do what must be done when that task is very difficult to do. When your emotions are shot and you are exhausted and you just want to lay down and rest, but there is still many things to do before rest can be sought.
The unforeseen benefits of training that continue to pay off for years to come.
Thanks Shifu for the gift that truly does keep giving.