Wax On, Wax Off
THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
THE LONG TAKE: Wax On, Wax Off
As a child of the 80's/90's, The Karate Kid was an instrumental part of my development. I tried to use chop sticks to catch flies, had a fascination with Bonsai trees, and, of course, attempted the Crane jump kick on one or two posts in my day. (Random aside: Daniel LaRusso wears a Wes Chandler jersey throughout the movie. Chandler played his college ball at The University of Florida, so...go Gators!!!!)
Of course, the absolute absurdity of the movie was the concept that random household chores would overcome years of focused training in the martial arts where (spoiler alert) LaRusso would defeat Cobra Kai's top student in the All-Valley Karate Tournament. For a significant portion of the movie, LaRusso is directed to wax cars, paint fences, and sand patio decks. LaRusso is convinced that he is simply doing menial tasks for Mr. Miyagi with no understanding how these things possibly could relate to karate. Of course, the audience (and LaRusso) finally gets the picture when Miyagi asks him to "wax on" while throwing a punch. LaRusso easily blocks the punch through the muscle memory developed through the chores. Suddenly, those chores that seemingly serve no purpose were seen for what they were: indispensable aspects of training. Only then do we understand Miyagi's plan and realize he wasn't crazy for putting LaRusso through hours of chores. There was a method in the madness, which turns out really wasn't madness at all.
LaRusso and Miyagi can serve as an analogy to an aspect of the Christian life that can be frustrating for us. Too often, we pay lip service to God's sovereignty while gnashing our teeth at our situation in life. We see Romans 8:28 and (often out of context) Jeremiah 29:11 show up in our social media feeds when problems arise, when, in reality, we echo the cry of the atheist by defiantly declaring, "Where is God?" in the recesses of our hearts. We, like Daniel LaRusso, question our Master in the face of difficulty.
Dr. Jamie A. Grant addresses this issue in an article entitled What is Man?: A Wisdom Anthropology (from the compilation Anthropology and New Testament Theology). In this article, he traces how the wisdom literature of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes speaks to the frustration of the reality of life measured against the revelation of God. Directly discussing Job being influenced wrongly by his friends, Grant states, "[T]he root of Job's error is in calling into question the very fact that God had a plan for him...[and] since Job could no longer understand the divine plan, he came to assume that there was not one."
We make the same mistake in our fallen nature: to not see God's plan serves as evidence that there is no plan to see. Of course, God brings Job to his proper place through a harsh cross-examination (Job 38-41) which leaves Job utterly speechless. Grant writes
Job's thinly veiled accusation that God has lost control over his life is addressed in Yhwh's cross-examination. The Creator challenges Job to control the weather elements and to place the constellations where they are meant to be. Such questions draw Job's attention to a design and order that is not only beyond his control but also beyond his comprehension.
Grant summarizes that the message of Job (and the message to us) is that while we see randomness, we should see mystery. There is still a plan inherent within mystery and God, in His will, may or may not reveal that mystery to us. However, if, in His wisdom, His plan remains veiled, we should understand that His plan, nonetheless, remains. In that, we can (should) trust in the plan of the only One who, from eternity past, has demonstrated His faithfulness to the good of His people without fail. This is the message of Matthew 6:25-34. Let us model Job's response..."The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."
Also, sweep the leg....
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
Unlike Karate Kid, hockey was not a significant aspect of my childhood. Ice hockey requires, well, ice and Florida is not known for its ice. Thus, limited exposure. However, I attended my first NHL game a couple of months ago, watching my (adopted) hometown Carolina Hurricanes play the Tampa Bay Lightning. I was hooked! Since then, the Hurricanes have surprisingly done well in the postseason, currently holding a 3-0 lead over the Islanders in the 2nd round of the Stanley Cup playoffs (I attribute their success simply to my newfound fandom). These Bunch of Jerks have been fun to watch and cheer for. So go Canes!! #TakeWarning
MY CURRENT INTAKE
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What I'm Listening To: I taught myself to play guitar while in college. Dave Matthews was my tutor, in that I learned to play so I could learn his songs. I could play most of his hits from the 90's (and some of the deeper tracks on his albums). His style of playing stretched me more than your generic Green Day / three chords and a cloud of dust acoustic covers. Since then, about once a year, I'll go through a 1-2 week kick where Dave Matthews Band gets heavy rotation in my playlists. I'm currently in one of those kicks...
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What I'm Reading for Enjoyment: Since I finished the Harry Potter series AND Frankenstein, I'm on the hunt for my next undertaking. I'm deciding between revisiting the Lord of the Rings series or starting Les Mis. We will see..
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What I'm Reading for Betterment: I'm working my way through Karen Swallow Prior's book On Reading Well. Prior uses some classics of literature to demonstrate how various virtues of the Christian life can (and should) bring about human flourishing that glorifies God. Some of the books discussed are new to me. Hopefully, I will get to read these new discoveries first hand. Regardless, her analysis is helpful in applying virtue toward the good life.
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Recommended Spotify Playlist: In honors of Dave Matthews Band, I offer my 90's playlist. Since pop music in the 90's ran the gamut of genres, Gnarly Nineties tends to be my most eclectic playlist. Z Cavaricci pants and Oakley Frogskin sunglasses not included...
Soli Deo Gloria,
Mitch Evans