100 Moral Stories 23
“This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you’ll ever need to know,”
the Sensei replied.
Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training.
Several months later, the Sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy
easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time,
his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match.
Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals.
This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared
to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out.
He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened.
“No,” the Sensei insisted, “Let him continue.”
Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard.
Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament.
He was the champion.
On the way home, the boy and Sensei reviewed every move in each and every match.
Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind.
“Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?”
“You won for two reasons,” the Sensei answered. “First, you’ve almost mastered one of the most
difficult throws in all of Judo. And second, the only known defense for that move is for your
opponent to grab your left arm.”
The boy’s biggest weakness had become his biggest strength.
JUST P.U.S.H!
A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light, and the Lord
told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin.
The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. So, this the man
did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to
sun down; his shoulders set squarely against the cold,
massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all of
his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and
worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.
Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary
(Satan) decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into
the weary mind: “you have been pushing against that rock for
a long time, and it hasn’t moved.” Thus, giving the man the
impression that the task was impossible and that he was a
failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the
man. Satan said, “Why kill yourself over this?”
