Hey, party people? How's being grounded at home feeling? :) Shortly after moving to Colombia in 2016, I wrote a blog post about resting and remaining close to our Shepherd.
Read it here: Blog - The Lord is my Shepherd
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Sammy loves isolation
with his humans!
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In that post, I talked about The Karate Kid movie, which has meant a lot to me spiritually over the years. In the original film, Mr. Miyagi teaches a kid karate in a very non-traditional way, by having him do seemingly useless small chores and tasks for a long, long time. When Daniel is about to quit, Mr. Miyagi finally reveals the purpose of the training and shows Daniel that the menial chores were all part of preparation for a real opponent. None of it was worthless work and suddenly the karate kid is ready to enter the game. This is an encouragement for me in my walk with Jesus. There are so many moments that I feel time is wasted, and that I'm not doing "as much for God" as I could be, as if he even needs me. Ha! There are seasons I feel like I'm repeating things I've already learned - multiple times over. There are days I feel unseen, like God's just messing with me, and I'll never get to advance. But this movie shows us God's patient kindness by giving us seasons to grow and prepare. This time of preparation is not wasted, although it often feels like it during the waiting.
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| Karate Kid (2010) |
This past week has reminded me of this film, as all of us are locked up at home for a while, thanks to COVID-19. So I watched the re-make film with Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith. And this picture really stuck out to me (to the right). The Mr. Han is training his mentee to "pick up and hang up his jacket," as physical movement of Kung Fu move later in the film. And as the kid trains, Mr. Han stands with him in the rain, holding an umbrella. He's not asking him to do anything that he won't stand with him to do. He is there and he cares for him by protecting him from the rain. This is the Holy Spirit in our lives! If you're reading this and you don't know a god who loves you and walks with you like this, I'm praying that you'll meet him soon. This is how Jesus loves!! He stands with us in the rain.
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me and the roomies celebrating
1 week in quarantine! |
Throughout the whole movie, the kid (Daniel or Dre, depending on which version you watch) is so anxious to learn to fight, to defend himself. He cares more about what his instructor can teach him than learning from him just by being with him. This is much less important in the movie, but I think it can also translate to our walk with God. I, for one, am often so much more concerned with the answers and the final result than spending time with my Lord in the process. Would I rather spend time with him, or do I just want the quick fix, the answers, and the final product? Would I rather have his wonders and his blessings, or would I rather have him? Do I truly believe that he alone is enough? Lots to think about.
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| Spring Play: rehearsals 2 weeks ago |
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| Spring Play: lines practice today |
In other news! We are 11 days into the nation-wide quarantine here in Colombia, and the hope is that it will be over on April 13th. Things are weird, days are long, but I'm thankful for plenty of rest and time to spend with Jesus and catch up with friends. Life these days has definitely looked differently.
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| middle school youth group last month |
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middle school youth group today
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We still have virtual classes for the students and my roomies and I have kept busy with sunbathing on the balcony, walking Samwise, doing Jazzercise videos, and planning weekly celebrations of the quarantine. I've also been getting more involved in my church and serving in the middle school youth group. It's been a great challenge for my Spanish and I'm loving being a part of youth ministry again!
Let's continue to pray for the COVID-19 virus to end quickly and for God to absolutely use this in the lives of his creation around the world.
"Being still and doing nothing are two very different things."
- Mr. Han in The Karate Kid (2010)
