ROCK LEE!!!!!
(Note: This is a long post, and might not make sense near the end because it is late)

Today (meaning yesterday) I was at Einsteins studying with Simon, Hiram and Shelby. Simon had his laptop and started to watch old episodes of Naruto during his break. He was watching the Chuunin Exam where Rock Lee and Gaara were fighting. The episode where Rock Lee just so happens to open 5 gates was the one which I missed. So I decided to watch it when I got home starting from the first fight leading up to that episode. It was so awesome and so touching too!!! *cry-worthy!!!*

The touching moments started with Hinata vs. Neji fight. It was obvious that Hinata was no match for Neji but she still fought with everything she had. Even though she was looked down on, she fought because she wanted to change. She didn't want to be the carefree and shy girl that always wanted to avoid violence. So she fought, she fought all out. Even after being insulted not by Neji and having flashbacks of her father not caring, she pushed on. She ended up losing the fight, but she proved her point. She changed.

Next was the one I've been waiting for, Rock Lee vs. Gaara. I only wanted to see the amazing moves Rock Lee could do, but I totally forgot about the story behind it all. While being super amazed by Rock Lee's gate opening and super duper butt-kicking, there were flashbacks of his childhood as well where he would train so hard. He set goals after goals after goals for himself if he couldn't achieve the first one. His heart and spirit were one.

Rock Lee isn't one of those ninjas who could use ninja and illusionary techniques, but only hand-to-hand combat. Because of this, he trains day and night trying to perfect it. He was always called a drop out but he didn't let that get to him. He continued to train hard and never gave up.

After the match where he lost and was beat up pretty badly, the medic pulls his sensei away and told him that Rock Lee cannot live as a ninja anymore. THAT'S SO HEART BREAKING!!! All his training and mastering of all those moves and his sweat and blood gone to waste!!!

But if you keep watching to later episodes, someone comes in and heals Rock Lee back to health and he's okay again! Yahoo!!

So, there must be some sort of reason why I am posting this other than because I loved this episode. Yes, there is another reason. This episode reminded me of a verse I read.

And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
- Romans 4: 2-5

During exam periods, we all tend to be stressed, depressed and angry. We also feel like giving up. We feel like we are suffering and don't understand why we put ourselves through this torture of studying. It's like Rock Lee opening all those gates even though he knows it will pretty much kill his body. He did it to stick to his words and his goals/beliefs. We do it to glorify God's name. In the end, we both end up on the ground. But all this does not kill us. What does not kill us, makes us stronger. Rock Lee gets healed, so do we. By the love of God, we are healed, we have hope, we become stronger. We get back up and get back into the fight because we know that God is behind us.

It is easy to forget this because all we think about is studying studying studying. We worry about our marks (at least I am) and our future when we don't need to. If we are to pass, we will. If we are to fail and become drop outs, then we will (hopefully not). Whatever happens, God has plans for us that are waiting to be unwrapped like Christmas presents.

So....STOP BEING SO STRESSED AND SMILE EVERYONE!!! EVERYTHING WILL TURN OUT FOR THE BETTER!! YOU JUST NEED TO WAIT AND HAVE FAITH!!!! TRUST IN THE LORD!!!! WAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In Christ,
Jeff