(It’s WrestleWeek on POP GOD! In celebration of WrestleMania 32 this Sunday we’ll be looking at the intersection of faith and wrestling. You don’t have to be a fan to hop in the ring on this journey. Read on to see how this fake sport provides real lessons for anyone who’s ever grappled with God.)
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper. Jake “The Snake “Roberts. The “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase. Razor Ramon. Mr. Perfect.
What do these wrestlers all have in common?
They’re all iconic performers. They’re all WWE Hall Of Famers.
And none of them were ever World Champion.
Hard to believe those legends never held the top prize in wrestling, isn’t it? Yet their careers made a tremendous impact and are remembered to this day – even more so than some people who held the World Title multiple times.
Their personalities, in-ring abilities and legacies of memorable moments established their careers far more than any title reign.
It doesn’t always work this way in sports. In most cases you’re not really considered an elite athlete unless you’ve won at least one championship if not more.
But because pro wrestling is predetermined the number of championship reigns isn’t always the most important part of someone’s career.
Winning the World Title can certainly take a decent wrestler to the next level and make them a superstar. Wrestlers like Jake The Snake and Roddy Piper however are able to transcend the championship and become legends over the course of their career by focusing on more than just a big g0ld belt.
Sometimes I think Christians can get confused over what the ultimate goal is in life.
I think we see our eternal future in Heaven as the championship prize. And in many ways it is.
When we surrender our lives to Christ that prize is guaranteed to us. It’s guaranteed to us an it’s going to be well worth the wait.
Here’s the thing: if achieving that prize was all this life was about then why wouldn’t God just go ahead and call us home when we give our lives over to Him?
There must be something more God is doing in this world. There must be something more God is doing with our lives in it.
There must be more to life than just chasing the championship.
Our greatest decision in this life is to give our lives to Jesus. There’s no doubt in my mind about that. But I don’t believe that decision is the epitome of our lives work. I think it’s just the starting point.
I recently read an excellent book called “Renovate” by Leonce Crump, a pastor out of Atlanta. In it Crump warns that “in our fear of being too of this world, we are all to often not really in it either, but merely on it, taking up space.”
We should not, as Crump writes, live detached from the world Jesus came to save. Instead, “we are now called, through God’s renewed covenant in Christ, to be mediators of His renovation of the entire world.”
You see, just like in pro wrestling, the makings of a great career are not just about winning a championship. Yes, our victory in Heaven is the ultimate prize. But we’ve already won it. Or rather Jesus already won it for us.
So instead of resting on the laurels of a victory we did not even fight to win our championship in heaven should be the jumping off point for doing something incredible in this world. We ought to be inspired to work to make this world a better place. We ought to love this world and the people in it just as God does as we work to bring about their salvation.
We ought to be the type of wrestlers in this world that aren’t known for their stats but instead for their legacies of memorable moments.
Truly having a Hall Of Fame life is about more than winning . It’s about leaving an impact in our communities. It’s about working to renovate this world.
It’s about not resting on our championship victory. It’s about doing something meaningful in this life before we get to the next.
Be sure to subscribe to Pop God to follow along as WrestleWeek continues!
