Year 8 Pastoral Guardian

Sometimes we think that tasks are mundane.  Wake up, go to school, come home to innumerable pieces of homework, go to bed, repeat.  Is it possible to find purpose in the predictable and meaning in the mundane?  These experiences train and equip us for something greater and to be active participants in life.  This is considered a continual process of heart and mind transformation.

When we consider the never-ending schoolwork or chores we do at home, we can be reminded of Daniel in The Karate Kid.  When the Sensei agreed to train Daniel in the art of karate, there were the countless menial tasks of wax on, wax off, paint right, paint left.  Day after day, Daniel wore himself out performing the mundane.

As the movie plays out, Daniel’s tasks were anything but menial.  Each one honed his physical, mental, and inner strength, transforming him from an insecure teen into a confident warrior.  Daniel’s focus was to survive high school but his Sensei wanted to see him thrive.

Think about people you know.  Look past their actions to their character.  Perhaps some may be naturally gifted, but most inched forward because of hard work, perseverance, patience, and dependability.  Coaches often say they prefer a hard worker over a natural star any day because ability has a limit.  They’ve learned that success without struggle is momentary, faltering the moment the first storm hits.

Real success is the person who perseveres and continues, no matter how hard life becomes, and is birthed in everyday decisions.  It’s where the choice to persevere overrides the desire to give up.

Conversation Starters:

What do you do when you get bored with homework/chores?  

Do you give up or do you continue to endure?

Do you see the big picture?  What does it look like?

Are you willing to put up with the mundane tasks to achieve?

Michael Butterworth