Wax on, Wax Off

Mr. Myagi, the wise handyman and old karate master, agreed to teach Danel a thing or two about defense, about standing up to the bully.

So he had Daniel sand his deck. “Left the circle. Right the circle.”

He had him paint his fence. “Brush stroke up. Brush stroke down.”

And he had him buff his car. “Wax on. Wax Off.”

It was excruciating to the boy. “I thought you were going to teach me to defend myself?” It just didn’t make sense. To Ralph, it seemed like free labor and a tremendous waste of time.

Later, those discipline moves would prove the very motions Daniel used to defend himself in the competitive arena.

So it is with our discipline. It’s grievous. It’s painful. It seems like a waste of time. But when we listen to the Master, we understand that “Wax On. Wax Off” is really a preparation for the rest of life.

Right now, I’m not enjoying the waxing. I’m grousing. I’m frustrated by the pace. I should have ‘arrived’ by now and am concerned that it’s taking far longer than it should.

And I hate waxing.

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