Judo Philosophy

I’ve had the Bible verse on a sticky-note on my laptop for the last few weeks:

“Human defiance only
Enhances your glory,
For you use it as a weapon.” (Ps. 76:10 NLT)

My initial interpretation of this verse was this: offensive attacks can still be turned around by God for HIS glory. So even when we are under attack, we can be assured that God has a counter-move already planned.

Yet, as I kept reading it over, it brought to mind the philosophy of Judo.

Judo is a martial art that originated in Japan. Judo means ‘gentle way’. The principles of Judo include:

-Maximum efficiency and minimum effort
-Mutual welfare and benefit
-Gentleness controls hardness

I’ve read that in Judo, for the first few months you learn to fall without getting injured. You learn to throw your opponent off-balance by not resisting, by evading, by adjusting your position, by giving-way, by not meeting force head-on.

“This is to say, for performing any task (physical or otherwise), there will be a precise opportunity (or timing) when one's effort can most effectively be applied. The judo training is to master the alertness to detect such an opportunity and seize that instance to exert oneself to use one's own force most effectively. By learning and mastering the judo's essence from experience, we can always maintain composure, make decisions clearly, and foster self-esteem throughout our living in this complex society.”
.....translated from Matsutaro Shibazaki, Judo (1974, pp. 11-12)

The philosophy behind Judo has many real-life applications. Sometimes the most efficient way to handle opposition is with softness, non-resistance, and deflection. Stay alert for the perfect time, throw the attacker off-balance, use the opponent’s force as leverage to defend yourselves, and learn to fall without getting injured.