As a kid in elementary school, I loved to reenact pro wrestling moves with my friends on the playground (and even managed to save enough of my allowance to buy the best Adidas wrestling shoes out there). An elbow smash here, a flying drop-kick there. All we were missing was a turnbuckle.
But I never seriously thought about becoming a pro wrestler. In fact, when I arrived in high school, I never thought about joining the wrestling team. The thought of wrapping my arms under someone’s sweaty arm pits was not too appealing. Plus, the guys I knew jogged between classes wearing garbage bags designed to sweat off the last pound or two. Not for me.
But the day I gave my life to Jesus was also the day I signed up to be a wrestler.
When the apostle Paul describes the nature of the Christian life, he does so in this way:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:10-12).
As a Christ-follower, I volunteered to join the “struggle.” This word can also be translated “wrestle.” In other words, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against …” We may not don tights and a mouthpiece and go head-to-head with a sweaty arm pit. But that’s not our struggle. That’s not who we wrestle. But we definitely wrestle.
We wrestle with forces that live beyond what we can see, hear, touch, taste, or smell. We wrestle with influences that oppose the good that God wants to accomplish in our lives. We wrestle with powers that seek our demise.
Truth is, you are a wrestler whether you want to be or not. The question is, What kind of wrestler will you be?