I want to live like Po

I've been thinking about this post for a long time.  Every time I see KungFu Panda 3, I'm reminded that I want to express some thoughts about it.  Right now I should be painting instead of writing, but that's the way I rock.
Whenever I have a chance to paint, I want to write.  When I should be writing, I want to be cooking.  When I should be doing something is when I typically would rather be doing something else.  Sigh.  It's a terrible cycle.  And when you're an adult, sometimes you just make yourself do things, right?  Because you know you're supposed to...
Well, sometimes.
Anyway - back to my point.
Have you ever thought about the key points of that movie?  Have you ever realized the corollary to the gospel?

In the first one, Po discovers that he doesn't need a secret ingredient to become what he needs to be.  He is already there.  He needs to just realize that he's special on his own.  He didn't need a 'special sauce'.

We don't need anything special to be the best we can be.  We are already children of a God who loves us and only wants us to return and live with him.  There is no secret.  The gospel has been proclaimed world wide for over 2000 years.
Each day is a gift from a loving Father who wants us to CHOOSE to be happy.  To make better
choices each day.

In the second one, he needs to find inner peace to have the strength he needs to over come his past and be content in the present.  What has happened to him made him what he was, but didn't need to make him bitter or angry.
Each of us can choose to be victims of our circumstances, or we can choose to be happy in our lives.  My husband is always telling me that he's amazed by my life - that I'm not a prostitute somewhere or strung out on drugs.  The life of a foster child is not always a happy tale - and mine wasn't all flowers and rainbows.  But I am basically a happy person, and I didn't feel sorry for myself.  I still don't.

 I have ALWAYS felt the love of my Savior and Heavenly Father, even when I was down, deep inside I knew they were there and cared for me.  Despite the mistakes and missteps I made along the way.  (continue to make!)  Po always knew he had a father that loved him, even though he felt the adopted child's desire to know who his true parents were, he managed to overcome that and be happy with the knowledge that he had a loving father and it didn't matter what else had happened to him.
But the last movie pulls them altogether and you realize that it's simple.
Christ told his disciples that they needed to be as a child.  (Matthew 18:3–4).  Many people struggle with that every day.  We have to be innocent?  We have to be simple??  No...we need to remember that LIFE is simple.

Po is always humble!  Even though he's the Dragon Warrior, he's willing to learn.  Always aware that there is more to be explored, and learned.  He is like a child.  Just when you think there's a cool part in the movies, he does something that is just like what you or I would do.  We mess up.  Like when he goes to rescue his friends in the second one and he's standing on the roof with a hat on his head and he's declaring that he's going to stop Shen.  It sounds way cool and inspiring until you are down at the boats and they can't hear him.  He throws the hat and it floats....that kind of stuff.  We think we have it down, and that we're going to be the stuff of heros to the WORLD, and it fails.  Because the world is not what's important.  WE are.  Our learning, our growth. What we can take with us after we leave is what's important.

Po loves his fathers.  Both of them.  Children love their parents!  Sometimes they get mad because they don't get their way, but they love.  I can still hear the chorus of Daddy! my husband would get when he came home.  He'd do a quick shift to the side so they wouldn't all head butt him in the groin, but they knew he loved them back.  It's only now that they are adults that they are confused and lost.  sigh.

While he was discovering what it mean to be a panda, Po experienced life.  He enjoyed EACH DAY!  Children don't live in the can't waits.  I remember as a child I wanted Christmas to come, but I didn't WAIT till it came, life was too much fun.  Every DAY was fun.  What new imaginary thing could I come up with?  What new friend would I meet?  Children are happy to go visit Grandma, go to the park, play with the dog, help mom fold clothes...
We need to be happy in the moment.  Live each day to it's fullest.  You don't want to dwell on regrets...and certainly don't want to add more to the list.

And one of my favorite parts of Panda 3?  We can all become the best US.  His people didn't have to become like Shifu to learn kung fu.  They didn't have to change, just become the best they could at what they did. Po was able to recognize that, and become the teacher he was supposed to be - much like Shifu taught him after discovering there was a difference in his abilities.  Each of us learn in different ways, and each of us have different abilities - gifts - talents.
A child is just learning what those abilities are.  The world is a wide open book full of possibilities.  And children are eager to share, to help, to love.  EAGER.

Once a child learns a skill, they feel confident in it.  They share it.  They use it.  Our challenge is to continue learning, to continue sharing.  We can feel confidence without being prideful.  We can be excited without being boastful.  We can share without being demeaning.
We can be as a child in so many ways...but it's a determination to have Christ in our hearts.  To help him find that child within us.
The child that loves everyone unconditionally.  EVERYONE.  A child that wants everyone to have food, clothes, a home, a family.

Anyway - I'm still not sure this expresses everything I wanted to say and share.  If I've offended anyone, that wasn't my intent.

I hope that you are happy in where you are, with what you are doing and who you are.  (now I sound like YODA, lol)

Remember Jesus Christ loves you.  Have an excellent day.