Jacket On, Jacket Off
- ameliarenee227
- Aug 7
- 5 min read
A faith-based guide to enduring life’s endless attacks
“Jacket On, Jacket Off.”
How many times have you asked, “Why me?”
How many times have you questioned your circumstances, “How much longer?”
A few days ago, I watched a church service online. Before the speaker came to the pulpit to preach, an older woman gathered a choir to sing. As I watched, I noticed this woman throwing a ridiculous amount of shade at the younger choir director. It was so bad that I cringed. Her behavior was inappropriate and uncalled for.
But the young choir director held her peace. She stood her ground and was gracefully defended by other elders who weren’t bullies. And she went on to direct the choir with her chin up and shoulders high.
As I watched, I was furious. I’ve brought it up to God several times during our daily chats. The older woman’s actions were so unnecessary—and it frustrated me deeply. Mostly because I’ve experienced that same treatment far too many times. In both the world and the church, some older people are cruel and dismissive toward younger people. They put us in boxes, generalize us, and downplay our growth and spiritual journeys.
Not every elder is like this, but there’s definitely a chunk who are. These are the people who refuse to respect you as the adult you are. No matter how grown you are, they can’t help but treat you like a child.
But this isn’t the main point of this message.
As I poured my frustration out to God, His response hit differently—it wasn’t what I expected. He reminded me that yes, this has happened to me many times, and it may happen again. But what’s most important is how the young woman responded to the disrespect.
Yes, the older woman was completely in the wrong—but the grace and maturity that radiated from the younger woman spoke volumes. She humbled the older woman without saying a word.
Then God whispered to me:
“Jacket on. Jacket off.”
Every day I find myself talking to God about the same things. I keep bringing up the times I’ve been lied on, lied to, disrespected, left hanging, abandoned, ridiculed—the list goes on. I find myself wondering why God allows it and how much longer I’ll have to wait for vindication.
His response?
“Jacket on. Jacket off.”
And I knew exactly what He meant.
Have you seen the Karate Kid remake with Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith? Jaden’s character, Dre, moves from Detroit to Beijing with his mom. Some local boys start bullying him because their leader likes a girl who likes Dre.
Then Dre meets Mr. Han, the apartment maintenance man, played by Jackie Chan.
Long story short, Dre begs Mr. Han to teach him Kung Fu. He’s seen Mr. Han defend himself with expert skill against the bullies and wants to learn how to fight back. But when training begins, Mr. Han simply has Dre do what his mom had been begging him to do all along: pick up his jacket.
Pick it up. Put it on. Take it off. Hang it up. Drop it. Repeat. Over and over again.
Dre becomes frustrated. He wants real training, not this endless repetition. He even tries to skip bringing the jacket one day, but Mr. Han sends him back to get it. He even holds an umbrella over Dre as he trains in the rain.
One day, fed up, Dre explodes. Mr. Han calmly says, “Jacket on.” Dre flings it over his shoulder in frustration, but Mr. Han grabs the jacket and says it again, firmer: “Jacket on.”
Dre mimics the motion without the jacket. Mr. Han corrects his posture, telling him to be strong and firm. Suddenly, Dre begins to move with precision and skill. Without realizing it, he had been building muscle memory all along.
And just like that, it hit me.
We complain about the length of our trials—but have you ever stopped to see how much you’ve grown? How many times has life come at you hard, and yet you responded in strength instead of defeat?
As a believer in Jesus Christ, I know our enemy despises our devotion to the one true God. I’ve faced spiritual attacks that left me feeling isolated and broken. But lately, I’ve noticed something different. When the same attacks come again, I respond with more bravery. More wisdom. More grace.
Why? Because it’s muscle memory now.
God allows trials to build character that reflects Him. They give us spiritual stamina. They prepare us. As Paul reminds us in Romans:
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ… Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame…”
—Romans 5:1-5 NIV
“Jacket On, Jacket Off” is God’s way of saying: There is purpose in the repetition. There is glory in the grind.
If we face trials with grit and hope, we’ll realize that His promises are yes and Amen. We’ll notice we can hold on longer. We’ll discover that we won’t lose our minds when we feel like we should.
So, keep hoping—for that one thing only God knows you’ve been praying for. Keep hoping for the reconciliation, the breakthrough, the healing. Hope does not put us to shame.
When the going gets tough, you’re not going to quit—because you’ve been here before. You’ve trained for this.
“Jacket On. Jacket Off.”
Now, when you defeat the enemy—when you break addictions, generational curses, and spiritual strongholds—it’s going to be muscle memory. When the enemy tries to bully you this time, you’re ready.
You’ve prayed. You’ve cried. You’ve read your Bible. You’ve called on Jesus. You’ve kept your head up and pressed on. And now, when life’s weight finds you again, you’ll know exactly what to do.
Calling on Jesus is muscle memory now.
Praying, opening your Bible, and walking in peace—it’s all muscle memory now.
Dre couldn’t see the plan, just like we often can’t. We get annoyed with God. Some of us even turn away because we’re tired of the same old cycle. But let me encourage you:
You wouldn’t eat a cake that isn’t fully baked. Just because it looks ready on the outside doesn’t mean it’s ready on the inside. So you put it back in the oven—to finish. To be made complete.
God is still baking you. Let Him.
I know you may feel ready for the blessing or breakthrough. You may even look ready. But let God prepare your whole self—heart, soul, and mind—so when He gives you what you’ve been praying for, you’ll know what to do with it. You’ll be able to sustain it.
I’ve been praying for reconciliation with the man and woman I believe God told me are my birth parents. But God had to first heal my inner child. He had to correct my attitude so I wouldn’t sabotage the very thing I begged Him for. He had to renew my mind and mend my heart so my trauma wouldn’t bleed onto the fulfillment of His promise.
“Jacket On, Jacket Off, Amelia.”
God reminds me: My waiting is not in vain. My trauma is not my identity. My faith is not useless.
Let this message encourage you. No matter what you believe, we’ve all been through something heavy. We’ve all needed a miracle. We’ve all been tired. We’ve all been weary.
JACKET ON. JACKET OFF.
You already know how to fight. You’ve already defeated things like depression, anxiety, suicide, addiction, rage, and so much more.
So FIGHT. Don’t let life break you. Don’t let the enemy bully you. Let God forge a victory path in your spiritual muscle memory—so when you need it most, you’ll know exactly what to do.
“Jacket On. Jacket Off.”
God bless you, in Jesus’ Name.
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