"Only Different In Your Mind" - Problems That Seem Too Big

You are on an overgrown, swamp planet. Creatures of all kind are surrounding you. Something just tried to eat your droid, and to top it all off, your ship is stuck in a giant mud puddle. What is an aspiring young Jedi to do?

Luke had been on quite a ride over the past few years of his life. Things had been drastically turned upside down. What started off as a normal morning on his uncle’s moisture farm, quickly changed, and his entire world exploded. With the ordinary purchase of two seemingly normal droids, Luke had been catapulted onto the ride of a lifetime.

After leaving Tatooine, Luke rescued the princess, destroyed the Emperor’s prized possession – the Death Star – and helped saved the Rebel Alliance in the Battle of Hoth. Not only had Luke’s life taken a drastic turn, but he was now the darling – the hero – of the Alliance, and one of the most wanted men of the Empire.

Now this hero, leader, and would be Jedi had been sent to Dagobah by Obi-wan to search out the great Jedi Master Yoda. After a crash landing, and some interesting interactions with a crazy local – aka Yoda – Luke began his training, and started down the path that would “forever dominate his destiny”.

As days passed, Luke trained more and more, all the while, his ship – his only means off the swampy rock – sat stuck in the mud. As Luke trained one day, the ship sank the rest of the way into the mud and water. Luke could not believe it – of all his rotten luck. Why him – why did it always seem to happen to him? You can almost hear these thoughts as Luke disgustedly exclaimed, “Oh no, we’ll never get it out now.” Against this backdrop, one of the most wonderful scenes in the Star Wars universe plays out:

This scene is one of the best scenes from the entire saga. To Luke, the problem seemed too big. It seemed like something insurmountable. As Yoda reminded him, in his own special way, that he could not give up so easily, Luke agreed to give it a try. Yoda stopped him, and uttered that famous phrase, “Try not, do, or do not, there is no try.” Luke turned; Yoda looked on expectantly. As Luke began to “lift” the ship, the excitement in Yoda is evident on his face, but after a few seconds, the ship slipped quietly below the water. Exhausted. Luke plopped down by Yoda and exclaimed, “I can’t; it’s too big.”

Luke had a problem, and it seemed too big to handle. Every person reading this can probably relate to this scene, because something similar has probably played out at some point in your life. In every person’s life, there comes a point in which they come up against something that seems too big to handle.

For most of our children, this has happened or at some point will happen in their life. Maybe it is dealing with the bully. Maybe it is a new concept at school. Maybe it is a big project. Maybe it is a friendship issue or a family issue. Whatever it is, there comes a point when there is something that they think is too big for them to deal with.

How we ourselves walk through this is as important as how we help our children. Our children must know that often the biggest obstacle to a problem is the one that our mind creates. This is exactly what Yoda tells Luke when he complains that it is too big, “No, no different, only different in your mind.” Luke had given up before he had even tried. He had beaten himself, before he even started.

Many times, this is how it is in life. When presented with an insurmountable problem, many give up, or convince themselves they cannot do it, before they even try. This was Yoda’s message – this is what he wanted Luke to see. Yes, the problem is big; yes, there does not seem to be an easy solution; yes, it will be tough, but do not give up before you even start.

Our children need to know and believe this. Throughout their life, they will come up against huge problems, but if every time, they quit before they start, they will never grow, never achieve, and never impact the world around them. What if Luke had simply given up? How different would that universe have been?

After Yoda lifted the X-wing, Luke stared, unbelieving. He turned to Yoda and simply said, “I don’t believe it”. “That”, Yoda says, “Is why you fail.” The Master wanted the apprentice to see that he was his own worst enemy, that his unbelief is the only thing that really stopped him. That is what our children, and each of us, must understand. If we start from the place that we cannot do it, we never will be able to.

In this scene, Lucas showed us a powerful lesson about facing problems that seem too big, and overcoming them. You notice, Luke was not alone, just as we and our children are not. Luke had someone to help him, and our children need to know we are there to help them. Luke had to believe to overcome, just as each of us must.

What problems have you faced that seemed too big? Did you simply give up, or did you believe and find a way to overcome? How are you helping those younglings in your life do the same?

Just like Luke, we will all come to this place in our life. Before we face the problem in the world, we must first face it in our mind and realize that the real problem is “only in our mind”. Just like Luke, we must have faith and believe. Take time to help your children defeat their own worst enemy – themselves, and to awaken the faith and belief that will help them overcome even the biggest of problems.