Everything Is Kung Fu: Part 2

Posted On October 24, 2021

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

James 1:2-3 NIV

“Train yourself for a holy life!”

1 Timothy 4:7 CEB

My youngest child just received her first-degree black belt in tae kwon do. The testing for this level is more intense than the testing she was required to complete for her recommended black belt, but the payoff is bigger, too. This time she received a black belt personalized with her name in gold and with a gold stripe indicating her rank. She was very proud and excited to get this, and she definitely earned it!

When she received her recommended black belt last spring, I wrote a martial-arts-themed post titled “Everything Is Kung Fu” based on the 2010 movie The Karate Kid. So I thought it would be fun to build on that theme this week. Just to review: This movie is actually about a boy learning kung fu, not karate. However, as I learned from a little online research, the term kung fu is pretty broad. Kung fu can refer to any discipline or skill which requires careful preparation, hard work, and practice, so I think it is appropriate for describing not only karate and tae kwon do, but our spiritual training as well.

To get us inspired, here is the kung fu training montage scene from The Karate Kid…

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.” 

Hebrews 12:11-12 NIV

Preparing for a kung fu tournament or a tae kwon do black belt test takes many of hours of training. The students have to put in the work required to be prepared for the challenges they will be called to face. The same is true for us as Christians. But instead of hours, we may need years of training to be prepared for the testing that lies ahead. This can be hard. Often we struggle with what seem like neverending hardships and we wonder why. Why is God letting us struggle so much? What is He thinking? We may not get answers to these questions, but even if we did, we probably wouldn’t be able to understand them anyway. God’s thoughts and ways are far beyond ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). We just have to persevere and we have to trust Him. That’s hard sometimes, but that’s what it takes. We have to remember that He knows what He is doing. He’s got a plan, and it’s a plan for good.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:28 NIV

“Life is a gift, but a broken one. We live in a world where every pleasure is tinged with pain and every stride of productivity is met by the stumble of frustration. . . . Because life is a gift that has been cursed, we must become people of perseverance.”

Deron Spoo, The Bible in 10 Words

At my daughter’s martial arts school, students must attend black belt training sessions before being allowed to test to make sure that they are ready. But even so, they are pushed hard during the two-day testing. My daughter practiced hard, and she was confident in her ability to perform all the tasks she would be asked to demonstrate: punches, kicks, board breaking, sparring, forms, fitness, and reciting the history of tae kwon do. She was prepared.

But she still struggled anyway in an area she wasn’t at all concerned about: pushups. She’s been doing lots of pushups on the mat as part of her classes since she started tae kwon do as a young child. She has the strength and the stamina to do the 20 pushups she knew she would be required to do for the test. But here is what she didn’t know: she was required to do them outside, on her knuckles, on a concrete path. When it was time, she got into position with all the other testers. They were told that if anyone struggled, they would have to keep at it until they got the job done — all 20 pushups. She began, tried the first couple, and then stopped and picked up her hands. This was hurting her knuckles, a lot. She tried again, did a couple more, and then stopped again. I could see in her eyes she was afraid she would not be able to do this. She rubbed her hands, fighting tears.

“I imagine [Jesus], bending close to those who hurt. I imagine him listening. I picture his eyes misting and a pierced hand brushing away a tear. . . . He who also was once alone, understands.”

Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment

“Life will knock us down, but we can choose whether or not to get back up.”

The Karate Kid

Soon everyone else had finished their pushups, and the others noticed my daughter was struggling. They came over to cheer her on. The grandmaster asked her counter how many she had completed. The answer was discouraging: only four. As her mom, all I wanted to do was pick her up, hug her, kiss her poor little knuckles, and tell her she didn’t have to do this. She had tried, and that was good enough. But I knew that wouldn’t be good enough for her. So I squatted down next to her and began to cheer her on with everyone else. I told her she was tough and strong and that she could do this. She began again, determined to finish all 20.

She could only do a few at a time, having to stop and rub her sore hands often. My heart was full of hurt for her pain and pride at her determination. “I know it hurts, baby, but I know you can do this!” I told her while everyone else offered similar encouragement: “You got this! Don’t think about your hands; just keep going. You’re almost there!” Everyone rooted for her, especially those who understood the pain she was feeling. They knew she had the strength to do this, and they were determined to help her get through it. Finally, thankfully, we counted the last one: 20! She had done it. She got up, came to me with tears in her eyes, and let me wrap her in my arms. “Good job, baby!” I told her. “I am so proud of you.” When we face our challenges with strength and determination, I imagine our heavenly Father says the same thing to us.

“No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 MSG

“God has not been trying an experiment on my faith or love in order to find out their quality. He knew it already. It was I who didn’t.

C. S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

Later, when the testing was over, I keep thinking, Why in the world did they want them to do these pushups outside on their knuckles on the hard concrete? Obviously, it wasn’t a fair test of their pushup ability if they had to worry about the pain in their hands. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that was the point. Sometimes we face unexpected pain, and it catches us off guard. What are we going to do when that happens? Give up? Or keep pressing on despite the pain? The lesson they were trying to teach these soon-to-be first-degree and second-degree black belts is: You CAN do this! Even when it hurts, even when you’re struggling, you are strong enough to do what needs to be done. And once that lesson is learned, they’ll remember it the next time . . . and the next. They’ll know they are strong. They can persevere. They can do what they have to do, even when it hurts.

Although it was really hard for me to watch, I am so grateful she got to learn that lesson. Now she knows she is stronger and tougher than she thought she was. She kept her eye on the prize, she persevered, and now she wears her new black belt with confidence, knowing the price it cost her to earn it. God wants us to learn the same lesson about our faith. Even though it is probably hard for our Father to watch us struggle, He wants us to know that with His Spirit living in us, we are strong. We can persevere. We can do this. God wants us to keep our eye on the prize and press on. He wants us to wear our salvation with confidence, knowing the price it cost Christ to earn it.

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:14 NIV

“God is using today’s difficulties to strengthen you for tomorrow. He is equipping you.”

Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment

Persevering through pain is hard. Sometimes all we want to do is stay down and give up. God understands this. Christ endured pain, suffering, and an agonizing death for us. He knows how hard this life can be. But He invites us to look past the pain to the glory that awaits us. Learning to do this takes hours, or years, of dedication and training. God doesn’t want us to get caught off guard by the trials we will be called to face in the future, so He prepares us. He trains us hard. My daughter’s black belt testing wasn’t really a pass/fail type of test. Only students who have the required training hours and necessary skills are allowed to participate. It’s more of an opportunity to display what they have learned and prove to themselves what they are able to achieve. Spiritual trials are not pass/fail tests, either. We don’t have to earn our way into heaven. Christ has already done that for us. The testing we are called to endure is meant to strengthen us and prepare us for what is to come, and it’s an opportunity to prove to ourselves what we can achieve with Christ’s help. We don’t have to win. Christ has already done that for us. We just have to be willing to get back up and fight!

“For Jesus is not some high priest who has no sympathy for our weaknesses and flaws. He has already been tested in every way that we are tested; but He emerged victorious . . . .”

Hebrews 4:15 VOICE

“God never said that the journey would be easy, but he did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.”

Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment

The photo above shows my daughter being congratulated by her teacher after the testing was over. As a fifth-degree black belt, he understands what she has just had to endure because he has been through it himself. My husband and I have not. We love her, and we are proud of her, but we don’t really understand what it’s like to go through everything she did. Sometimes in life the challenges we face make us feel alone. Maybe no one around us understands what we’re being called to face. But Christ does. He is our Teacher and the best Friend we will ever have. He knows what we are going through because He has had to endure the same hardships. For our own good, sometimes He has to be tough on us. But someday our testing will be over, and we’ll get to feel His arms around us as He says, “Well done!”

“God’s home is now with his people. He will live with them, and they will be his own. Yes, God will make his home among his people. He will wipe all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain. These things of the past are gone forever.”

Revelation 21:3-4 CEV

This week’s Scripture passages focus on spiritual training and perseverance. Our strength and power come from the Lord. He is our Teacher, and He will help us to press on when we feel like giving up. The training is hard, the battle is tough, but the prize is worth it!

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

James 1:12 NIV

References:

• The Karate Kid. Dir. Harald Zwart. Sony Pictures, 2010.
• “The Karate Kid (2010) – Dre’s Victory Scene (10/10) | Movieclips.” YouTube, uploaded by Movieclips, 7 February 2017, https://youtu.be/Pt6VzQ_0k_I.
• “The Karate Kid – Never give up.” YouTube, uploaded by The Zen Circle, 2 September 2017, https://youtu.be/y72DfVB4K5E.
• “The Karate Kid (2010) – Kung Fu Training Scene (7/10) | Movieclips.” YouTube, uploaded by Movieclips, 7 February 2017, https://youtu.be/DVR6p7Iopec.
• Lewis, C. S. “A Grief Observed.” The Complete C. S. Lewis Signature Classics, Harper San Francisco, 2002, pp. 647-688.
• Lucado, Max. Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. J. Countryman, 2000.
• Spoo, Deron. The Bible in 10 Words: Unlocking the Message of Scripture and Connecting with God. Worthy, 2020.

Images:

• Mountain Sunset image by parsa shahzeidi from Pixabay
• All other images were taken during my daughter’s black belt test and were edited by me