My Karate Kid

My son and I went to see ‘The Karate Kid’ this evening and we really enjoyed it. Honestly, I’ve been holding out on this one. My good friend, Ron Surgeon, has been trying to convince me to see this movie for months, but I have a hard time getting amped up for movies centered on child-actors. But am I glad I saw this one!

This post isn’t a movie review, but I must say I was quite moved by the emotional depth, especially put on display between Dre (played by Jaden Smith) and Mr. Han (played by Jackie Chan). Dre’s character, several years removed from the death of his father, accompanies his mother to China due to a job transfer. Almost immediately, he suffers the bullying of several boys who happen to excel at Kung Fu. After a series of events, Mr. Han takes on Dre as a disciple in the martial arts.

I’ll spare you other details and potential spoilers, but this movie served my family well as a powerful parable of what a discipling relationship looks like between a parent and child. Afterwards, I was able to talk with Levi and recall scenes from the movie in order to explain what my responsibility is as a father and what his is as a son. We discussed how important it is that daddy spends a lot of time with his boy, teaching him (and modeling) what it means to be Christ-like, along with training him in virtues the world sees as lowly, but God dictates as honorable – courage, mercy, kindness, and love.

We also talked about the appropriate behavior for a son, or disciple, in training. He must have unwavering trust in his father’s instruction…blind trust, at times. He must remember that his father loves him and will never instruct him to act unto his own harm or that of others. He must obey at all times, and from the heart. And he must have faith in his father’s wisdom, even when his own wisdom is more tantalizing.

And just like that, the conversation takes an abrupt, but not unexpected turn in another direction, with a question about Optimus Prime. My son is a bit more interested in my knowledge of Transformers than he is about Christ, at times. And this is an ongoing lesson for his discipler that no matter how effectively I parent him, at the end of the day, my parenting won’t make my son love Jesus. It’s the gospel that brings about new life in his heart through the power of the Holy Spirit. So I pray, “Lord, never cease to draw my precious son’s heart unto you.”