A video of a group of kids cheering on a child struggling in his karate class to break a kicking board is resonating with quite a few people on social media this week, and there’s a reason.
In the clip, the struggling little boy tries several times to break the kicking board, but to no avail. Embarrassed and unsure of himself, he starts to cry. But before long, all the kids around him begin to cheer his name.
With the support of his teacher, the little karate kid finally breaks the board, and all his fellow athletes rush to hug him, a show of support and solidarity that seems all too distant in today’s cultural climate.
Those kids taught a valuable lesson we might all know early in life, but as time goes on, is something we often soon forget. We forget what it is to live alongside one another.
We’re immersed in an era in which divisive rhetoric is all too common and camaraderie is hard to find. It’s refreshing to see a group of kids reminding adults what it means to be human — what it means to LIVE.
We need to (L) look out for one another, (IV) invest in each other, and (E) empathize with those around us.
Our lives are short and the most important thing in this world is not material but intangible: it’s our relationships. There are so many passages in the Bible reminding us of this truth.
In Philippians 2:3, the apostle Paul told us to look out for one another when he said, “In humility, value others above yourselves.” In Colossians 3:13, he told us to invest in each other when he said, “Bear with each other and forgive one another.” Solomon also told us in Proverbs 18:24 that a friend “sticks closer than a brother.” And in Galatians 6:2, Paul told us to empathize with those around us when he said, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
It’s no wonder we’ve all been so inspired by the young kids in that karate class. I hope it reminds you to truly LIVE this week.