We are often shaped by our experiences in life.
Some are good, some are bad, and some are just ugly.
But they all play a part in developing who we are today.
And oftentimes the most painful ones are the most impactful.
And on today's episode we're looking at a character whose most painful memory shaped
who she is today and ultimately helped her play a pivotal role in saving the world.
And that is the waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe, Katara.
Hey what's going on guys my name is Nate and you're listening to the Otaku Liberation.
A show where we help you break the chains that hold you back in your life by connecting
some biblical principles with themes from your favorite anime.
And without further ado, let's get right on into it.
So today's verse that's going with today's episode is Romans chapter 8 verse 28.
And it says, and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him
who have been called according to his purpose.
So it kind of ties into what I said earlier where even the most painful memories or events
that happen ultimately worked out in the end for those who love God, for those who are
after his own heart who are following his purpose.
And if you're listening out there, I'm assuming either you started this journey or you're
already on that journey.
So either way, God's got you.
And this really kind of hits home for Katara and Saka to some extent, but mostly Katara
because we see the trauma affect her more directly, I should say.
And it really is pretty much her whole, it's almost her whole personality.
I mean, if you watch the show, you know, she talks about her mother and all that fun stuff.
For those of you who don't, don't worry, I got you.
And so there's really kind of three main points or characteristics of Katara that I want to
cover in today's episode.
And the first set of points is resilience and responsibility.
So the death of Katara and Saka's mother greatly impacted her and it shaped who she is today
as we see her in the show.
Because at a young age, Katara had to take over many responsibilities that an adult normally
do and essentially becoming a pseudo mother figure for honestly the entire group, the
entire team avatar.
And this is displayed when Katara tried to keep the group together in super stressful
times such as when Ava was stolen in the desert.
And it's funny because even the other characters, even her own brother kind of make fun of her
for her motherly attitude, even though she's around the same age of all of them.
But she has to act more mature because she's had to from such a young age.
And to kind of give a little more backstory on how her mother died, the Fire Nation invaded
the Southern Water Tribe because they were aware there was another waterbender there.
And obviously that waterbender was Katara.
But her mother lied to the Firebender saying that she was a waterbender instead of outing
Katara out.
And she did that thinking that she'd just be taking prisoners somewhere, but the Fire
Nation, they weren't taking prisoners that day.
And again, ultimately led to her mother getting killed, protecting Katara.
So that little bit of guilt coupled with the fact that her mother was everything to her
at the time.
And then shortly thereafter, their father left to go fight in the war, left Katara and
Asaka with just a grandmother.
So Katara already had that kind of nurturing spirit in her to begin with, but her mother's
death and her father's leaving to go fight the war essentially just kind of accelerated
that in her.
And it kind of just paints a whole picture of it.
Just think about it because God will use our life struggles to prepare for challenges that
are coming ahead.
And the way I kind of look at it for Katara is that if her mother didn't die and if her
father didn't go off to war, she might not have been the person that Aang needed in order
for him to complete his journey.
Because I'm going to dive deeper into later on in this episode, because Katara was, I
guess, a pivotal point in not only keeping the group safe and together, she even literally
saved Aang.
She literally saved his life.
And I just know like for me, it's funny, I was talking to my parents about this the other
day, just looking back over my life, if I didn't make certain decisions or certain events
didn't happen, how drastically my life would have changed.
I'm talking about decisions that led me to meeting my best friend, where if I didn't
stay behind after my parents moved, I probably wouldn't have never met him.
And then moving back home, I probably would never have gotten the job that I have now
and be able to help out around the house that way I am.
And probably would never went to this church, which started doing 21 Days of Fasting, which
eventually led me to even starting this podcast.
So each of these events and choices could have easily changed the direction my life
was going on.
And I'm just in awe of how God works all those things out for ultimately for good.
And again, as tragic and as saddening as it is for Katara to lose her mother, as far as
I'm sure a lot of people feel the same and they understand her pain.
But it helps me just kind of think about it in this way, like how different would she
have been and how different would the show have been if that event didn't shape her
in such an impactful way.
So the next aspect of Katara's kind of character is being a healer and a protector.
So as a waterbender, Katara was able to develop the ability to heal because healing was one
of the sub bending types for waterbenders.
And obviously because of that, she became an even greater asset to the team as the resident
healer and anyone who's played any type of RPG, MMO type thing, you know exactly how
important a healer is to the group.
You protect them at all costs.
There's no... if the healer goes down, the whole group is shortly going down right after.
And like I said, Aang actually died in Ba Sing Se.
Like when Zula shot him with the lightning while he was in the Avatar state, that was
it.
That was a wrap.
He was dead.
And if Katara wasn't there, then the world just would have ended.
The war would have ended with the Fire Nation winning and the Avatar would have been dead
forever.
And if she didn't have the ability to heal, if she wasn't there in that moment at that
time with her super spirit water, then the show would have been over and that would have
been a terrible ending.
But to kind of fully, fully kind of grasp this whole thing because Katara's affinity
with water, it really highlights her nurturing and caring nature because again, like water,
she was often the soothing voice of the group, killing the tempers down.
Like when Aang being the peaceful monk that he is, sometimes he will lose his temper over
things that were super important to him, such as his friends.
And again, back when they lost Appa in the desert, Aang was ready to end lives and Katara
was the main one trying to make sure everyone stuck together.
Everyone was wasn't being as angry against each other and and just helping everyone stay
focused.
But also like water, Katara could be just as violent and unforgiving, especially when
it comes to those who she cares about.
One of the greatest examples that stick out in my mind is when Prince Zuko tried to join
the group after everything that he's done to them for the past two and a half seasons
almost.
And especially after his betrayal in Bossing Say, Katara was not having it.
She threatened to, you know, to unalive this man if he even showed a glimpse of his old
self while they were with the group.
And she had the same type of ferocity when it came to confronting her mother's killer
years after the fact.
And it just goes to show that sometimes even the nicest, most caring people can be the
most dangerous if they're pushed to that extent.
And is to say, hey, being a healer and protector doesn't mean you're a goody goody and being
meek doesn't mean you're weak.
So in but all this kind of comes together in Katara understanding her own ability as
a waterbender and how it affects those around her.
So when it comes to understanding the gifts God has given us is the crucial in understanding
your purpose in life.
Like exactly being a part of the whole design, right?
God gives us these gifts and it's up to us to one discover and then understand and then
grow those gifts.
So how can we use them to help others and how can they be improved?
So the last kind of key points or character points I want to cover for Katara is when
it comes to becoming a master and a mentor.
So Katara masters are waterbending long before Aang does mostly due to her ambition and determination
alongside with Aang's aloofness when it came to actually training.
I think I covered a little bit of that in Aang's episode.
This leads her to becoming Aang's second waterbending teacher and helping him master the element.
And so it kind of comes back to the whole understanding your gifts.
Once we have an understanding of our gifts and how to apply them, teaching others creates
an opportunity for lasting growth in ourselves and in them.
So then this goes even further when in the legend of Korra, Katara becomes Korra's waterbending
teacher just like how she was for Aang all those years before, passing down her gift
and knowledge to the next generation.
And it goes to show you that sometimes God's purpose for our lives isn't really seen during
our lifetime, but is fulfilled through future generations.
And sometimes that's not the easiest thing to understand and to, I guess, really accept
for some people, because oftentimes you think our purpose in our life is meant to be fulfilled
in our lives.
I mean, we put in all this hard work, we're laying the foundation, we're laying the groundwork,
and we want to reap the rewards of it now.
I mean, because we put in the time, we put in the energy, we put in the effort, but we
feel like we should receive that, right?
And sometimes that's just not in God's plan.
And I know it kind of took me some time to kind of realize that because I don't know
where this is going to go.
I have hopes, I have dreams that this is going to blow up and it's going to be something
that lasts several generations, but that doesn't mean it's going to start during mine.
You know, I think my job right now is just to focus on laying down the groundwork for
something great, whether I get it there or somebody comes along way after me and they
just hear these episodes and they get inspired to start their own thing.
And maybe that thing is what helps change the world.
I don't know.
But I know, again, when it comes to understanding your purpose or finding your purpose, it comes
down to just being obedient and doing what you need to do.
Take those steps and just kind of figure it out along the way.
And I mean, it's pretty much that.
You can have whatever strategy, whatever mindset you want to have for it.
But ultimately it comes to just starting and just figuring out as you go.
Because again, when the guys, when the whole team from Avatar started this journey, you
know, again, so you got a 15, 14 and a 12 year old traveling the world trying to end
a war that's been going on for the last 100 years.
They didn't know what they were doing.
They didn't even know where really to begin.
They had this idea that, hey, we're going to go to the Northern Water tribe so Aang
can learn water bending from a water mending master.
They didn't know that Katara was going to be his water mending master by the end of
the series.
And they weren't even sure that he's going to even master all the elements before the
end of the series, which he didn't.
He didn't.
But that didn't stop them from going after their purpose because they knew it was something
they had to do.
Katara probably wasn't sure of what her role was going to be in all of this, but she just
knew that she needed to help Aang get there and kind of find out what her role was.
One of the most important ones in the series.
Like I said, if she wasn't there in bossing, say the series would have ended right there.
So you never know where your journey is going to take you, when you're going to be used
to your fullest potential or how God's going to use you and when.
So as frustrating as it can be sometimes, as unsure as you can feel sometimes, just
know that it is all going to be worth it in the end, whether that's a urine or somewhere
down the road.
You just know that in the end, the work that you're putting down now, the effort you're
putting in, the skills you're learning, the business you're building, the families you're
building, the relationships you're forging, they're all going to be worth it no matter
what.
So all going to be worth it.
So just take that to heart and understand that it's okay and God's got you.
So if you like what you heard today, you want to take a deeper look into today's episode,
head on over to theotopi-ration.net where you're going to find a blog article that covers
today's episode in a little more detail.
You may also find a link to our YouTube channel where I cover some bonus topics outside of
the podcast and come back next week because we're going to take a look at someone who
was considered the team strategist, inventor, de facto leader, and of course the funny guy
and that is Qatar's brother, Saka.
And always remember you are the main character of your story, your story, and that story
doesn't end until he says so.
Alright guys, be blessed.