The house is empty. Only Dre Parker, his mother, a couple of suitcases remain.
On a doorframe, milestones of important events are marked in pen and pencil.
Just before they leave, Dre leans up against the frame, pencils in where his height is and writes on it. The camera lingers on what he wrote: ‘moved to China’.
Outside they wave goodbye to friends and family before heading into a taxi to head to the airport.
Fast forward to China. While Dre’s mother speaks with the landlady about the electricity, Dre meets another American boy his age, Harry.
Although Harry tries to guide him through the local culture, Dre seems distracted, absorbing everything around him. Even managing to catch a few minutes of SpongeBob in the local Beijing dialect, familiar voices wrapped in unfamiliar sound.
The weight of this new move had not yet fully lifted.
Later in the nearby park where Harry is playing basketball, Dre sees a girl, Meiying, reading sheet music beside her violin.
Being infatuated with her, he strikes up a conversation, but Cheng, another local boy heads over, using aggression to get Meiying to practise.
Despite Dre helping and even pulling the sheet music away from him so he can’t snatch it, Cheng pushes him to the ground.
Getting back up, Dre goes into a fighting stance, but Cheng easily overpowers him, constantly knocking him back down, even giving him a black eye in the process.
This is now the world that Dre is living in, not one where he feels safe, but one where he is the outsider, the outcast and even mistreated. Throw in a neighbourhood bully and it becomes that little bit more fearful.
How many of you can relate to this? Maybe not in Dre’s sense, but in a world that feels alien and even intimidating to you?
When Not Knowing Feels Like Weakness
For Dre, that one encounter was not the final encounter, in fact, you can see different sides to him, depending on who he is with.
You can see the emotional strain showing in how Dre behaves around different people.
- Around his mum, Sherry, he was a typical teenage son, very few words, not so caring in his attitude. Pushing back when she asks him to do something.
- With Meiying, he can’t stop talking, sometimes trying to impress and just taking a general interest in her own life.
- After his first encounter with Cheng, whenever he sees him, he becomes withdrawn, fearful, does not speak with him or Cheng’s friends at all and even tries to avoid him completely.
Three relationships, three different versions of him.
To top it all off, because he is in a new land, with a different language, different cultures and surroundings, he may feel disconnected from who he used to be and this could make him feel like a stranger to himself.
How many of us have no doubt experienced this at some point in our lives?
We know who we are. But because of experiences, hurts and even what certain people said or did to us, we feel like an actor playing many different roles at once and not being true to ourselves.
This doesn’t just apply to new surroundings, but we can feel lost when life doesn’t make sense. Like when someone we see is being blessed, but we can’t understand why we aren’t making progress despite the hard work and endless commitment we put in.
Confusion is frightening, we don’t know what to do, where to begin, or how to move forward.
Sometimes we can be rash in forcing things to move forward, even though we know it isn’t right and could end in disaster.
In Dre’s case, he thought throwing water over Cheng and his friends was the best way to solve things, or at least deliver some payback.
That is until they caught up with him, forcefully holding Dre in place while Cheng delivered blow after blow until he was on the ground.
As Cheng moved in to deliver another merciless attack, Dre received help in the form of the most unlikely person.
Guidance That Doesn’t Immediately Make Sense
Mr Han grabs Cheng’s hand and pushes him away from Dre.
As Mr Han helps him up, Cheng moves in but is easily rebuffed. Then the rest of his gang join in and they too are quickly defeated.
The man who Dre simply knew as the maintenance man ended up being the one who saved him.
When you look back to when Mr Han first appears on screen, he is not the person you would say is a rescuer.
In fact, his intro scene depicts him eating noodles in isolation, catching flies with a fly swatter, only to use his chopsticks to throw it away, then resume eating, with those same chopsticks!
What we learn is that help doesn’t just come unexpectedly, but it comes from unexpected people. Just look back at the posts I previously wrote about Samwise Gamgee, Torgal and Wilson from Home Improvement.
Looking back at Scripture, Jesus was first announced as the Savior when he was born, the angel declared in Luke 2:11: “Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”
Many people could have thought:
- How could a baby make a difference already?
- He’s just like everyone else, nothing special about him?
But God very often provides help from the places and people we are either not considering or writing off completely.
One lesson I have personally learnt in life is to not rule anyone out, especially when it looks like there is no change to their circumstances, even though it has been a long time.
After visiting the martial arts school where Cheng and his gang trained and meeting their sensei, Master Li, an agreement was made. Dre would face Master Li’s students.
Knowing what was coming, Mr Han began training him, starting with the very first place he needed to begin.
At the time, Dre had no idea how strange that training would feel or how little sense it would make.
Why Repetition Feels Pointless at First
“Hang it up.”
“Take it down.”
“Put it on.”
“Take it off.”
Four simple instructions that Mr Han gives Dre to repeat endlessly with his jacket.
Mr Han eventually throws in two more instructions: “Put it on the ground” and “pick it up.”
After only a couple of cycles, Dre is already frustrated. Even asking if Mr Han is going to explain the purpose of this, Mr Han’s response is simply the instructions.
His arms ache. His patience wears thin. Nothing feels different, except his growing irritation.
Dre’s frustration came from two things: Doing the same thing over and over and not understanding why this is important.
All of us at some point in our lives relate to Dre at this point.
We will look at three points that this scene and Mr Han teach him and us:
- Removing bad habits
Dre had a habit of leaving his jacket on the floor and his mum got frustrated every time. His repetitive training ended up changing him to the point where he would put the jacket on the hanger rather than the floor.
Doing the same thing over and over again actually helps us attune to getting rid of things that will hinder us. The repetition we are learning is actually preparing us for what we are praying for, our dreams, our heart’s desires, our visions. Repetition may be boring, but it is necessary to help us grow in our skills and what we are working towards.
- Noticing comes before preparation
While this was a different scene just prior to the jacket scene, it was the link to it. While Han was fixing the hot water and the bathroom door handle, Dre was practising martial arts which Mr Han took notice of, but what stood out to him, was the jacket left on the floor.
Mr Han knew this was the first thing that needed addressing.
It can sometimes feel as though God has turned a blind eye to our requests, but often He is observing more closely than we realise.
What he has done is observed you and he has placed you where you need to be and receive the training you need to develop and grow. Even now in this training period he is still mentoring you.
- Answering without answering
Dre got frustrated when he wasn’t given an answer to why the jacket exercise was being done, and done repeatedly. But what he was learning was building up strength, muscle memory and different blocks.
Mr Han wasn’t just helping Dre prepare for the tournament so he could beat his opponents in the ring, it was more about the internal training.
Dre was learning to become a better and more confident version of himself.
God doesn’t reveal answers directly, he often does it through signs and situations. He does answer, but it is more indirectly, showing he has not only been listening all the time, but He has also been watching.
There will be times we lash out and question whether He knows what He is doing, that is simply part of our relationship with Him. But he doesn’t ignore you and doesn’t forget what you spoke to him about. He knows, it’s just he is making it happen in ways you didn’t expect.
What feels pointless today may be preparing you for tomorrow.
Discovering You Have Changed
After many cycles of repetition with the exact same sequence involving his jacket, Dre has had enough. Venting his frustration at Mr Han, he grabs his jacket, resigning himself to getting beaten up.
When Mr Han stopped him and asked him to repeat the exercise with him, this was the moment when Dre had his eyes opened. The very exercise he had grown to hate became the moment he saw his own potential.
All it took was a maintenance man and a simple everyday task he had once despised.
Can you think of a time when you were going through a training period, or even a rough patch?
A time when you resisted the training you were receiving, even lashing out at the one trying to help you?
Suddenly one word of encouragement, one thing that fell into place and everything you went through, including the pain, trials and training finally paid off.
The reality is most people throw in the towel before they see any visible change. Because we are often hardwired to look at outward results, not inward development.
- Building strength requires internal muscle growth before visible change.
- Losing weight means burning what cannot yet be seen.
- Learning to drive demands repeated practice before we are ready to drive independently.
It’s not just about repetition, but also about dedication and commitment, that is how you make gradual progress.
The reality is, It’s not an overnight thing. Very often it takes months, even years and you may be tempted to give up at any point along the journey.
So perhaps this is the moment to hold fast to those dreams, those visions of seeing something you want to accomplish. When they were put to you, it gave you a new spark of enthusiasm and something you enjoy and can be a blessing to others.
Remember, real strength is quiet, it builds from within. Not sudden, but layered.
As it says in Galatians 6:9: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
How God Builds Strength Quietly
The road we walk is never easy. There are times it feels slow, frustrating, and even when we cannot see or feel any progress. Especially when we cannot see any physical results.
Reaching the destination requires deep trust, not only in the process, but in God, the One guiding the journey.
There are many examples in the bible of people who this applies to:
- Joseph— faithfulness in service and prison prepared him to lead Egypt.
- David— years as a shepherd formed the heart of a king.
- Esther— positioned quietly in royalty before courage saved her people.
Just as in those biblical stories, when we find ourselves lost or uncertain, very often we consult something or someone with more experience and knowledge in how best to proceed.
This is often where we begin to notice God’s guidance, bringing clarity where confusion once lived.
Walking with Him is actually walking in partnership with Him and a sign of our obedience.
Notice how each of the people didn’t begin their journey by achieving what they were called to in the end, God was preparing them for it.
The signs of progress weren’t visible, there was no evidence in the natural that things were changing in their favour, but they kept serving faithfully, learning, growing, until God knew the time was right.
In much the same way, Dre’s training was preparing him for the tournament against Master Li’s students. After several rounds and multiple opponents, he emerged victorious. Even Master Li’s students honoured Mr Han.
Whatever the progress looks like for you, perhaps this is an invitation to stay steady and trust the process.
Everyone moves at a different pace and you are not behind just because it looks like others are ahead.
God is not delaying your growth, He is constructing it.
Stay focused on your journey, trusting that the right hands are guiding you, even when you cannot see them and remember this:
- Preparation precedes calling
- Faithfulness precedes fruit
Begin Before You Feel Ready
Sometimes the toughest part of a dream is actually getting started in the first place. Maybe your own thoughts will whisper lies like:
- You’re going to fail, don’t bother starting.
- This won’t work out. Call it quits while you can.
- What if this doesn’t work out? How humiliating will I look?
If this is where you find yourself, perhaps try one simple thing: begin anyway.
One gentle encouragement: don’t look multiple steps ahead. Don’t focus on the next step, not even the final destination. Focus on what can be done right now at this very stage, even if you don’t understand or can’t work things out.
Just begin.
If you’ve already begun and now find yourself in the middle, or close to the finish line, yet exhaustion and spiritual fatigue are pressing you to give up, try two simple reflections:
- Look back to where you began. Remember the obstacles you have already overcome to reach this point.
- Refocus on the step in front of you. Rest, spend time with God, do something that restores calm, then continue with renewed clarity.
People’s success and accomplishments never came overnight, it came from years of training, learning and having faith. Staying consistent even when the vision they carried seemed lifeless.
Perhaps you are closer to a harvest than you realise where the hard work you’ve put in and doing the same thing was what helped you to grow and discover new things within you.
Even if the progress you have made seems small or insignificant, don’t let it get you down, you have made progress.
You are already an example of God’s faithfulness.
Those dreams and desires placed within your heart may one day become a testimony for commitment, dedication and the results of using your God given talents and abilities.
Whatever stage you’re at, it is important to stay the course. The preparation, consistency, faithfulness and yes even the repetition are all part of the journey towards the destinations of your prayers.
You don’t need to feel ready. You only need to begin.