Learning

Anyone that grew up in the 80s will remember The Karate Kid. What a great picture of teacher and student. It is full of truth. First, there is the agreement Mr. Miyagi made with Daniel-son. “I teach, you learn”. The first day of training involves Daniel waxing all of Mr. Miyagi’s cars – and he had several. You can see it in the young man’s face, “But I thought…”, but the teacher insists. And there was a particular way to wax the cars. “Wax on, right hand, big circle. Wax off, left hand, big circle”. This didn’t seem like karate training at all. Day two was sand the floor. Day three and four were ‘paint the fence’ and ‘paint the house’, each with their very special way of doing it. Daniel had had it! This was not karate! Miyagi reminded him of the agreement: I teach, you learn.

Finally, the old man tells Daniel, “Show me wax on, wax off”. Reluctantly, the student quickly swings his arms around groaning, “wax on, wax off”. “No, no, no”, says Mr. Miyagi. “Big circle; focus; always look eye!” Then, just as the exhausted kid started to repeat the moves, the teacher throws a punch, hard and fast, straight to Daniel’s chest. But the training kicks in and Daniel blocks each blow with his wax on, wax off moves. Revelation sweeps over the young man’s face…the ‘Ah-ha’ moment. Every task of the last four days, tedious and seemingly unrelated to the art of karate, had its place. And now Daniel-son is executing each one without even thinking about them consciously. The ancient one had done what he said he would do – teach.

I wonder if some of the training in my life might be disguised as chores. Are the tasks filling my day also carrying a deeper meaning? David, the shepherd boy, spent his days watching sheep. Watching sheep! He’s not really making a difference…for the Kingdom or otherwise. Or is he? In the field, David learns what it takes to lead (Luke 16:10). He develops the courage to chase down lions and bears. “I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it” (1 Samuel 17:35). Perhaps most importantly, he learns to wait on the Lord. He learns to recognize God’s voice. He learns patience. No wonder David became the great king of Israel and a ‘man after God’s own heart’. He had endured the training.

I pray that I will endure like David…that I will keep my attitude in check even when I do not see the end value hidden in my current responsibilities. It becomes a matter of obedience and perseverance. Of course, these are qualities I cannot consistently display without the help of the Holy Spirit. Everything relies on my trust of God’s plan for my life - and His good intentions. I have only one thing to remember: He teaches, I learn.