Wrestling with Life

This morning, as I opened my Bible, I came across a wrinkled note card. My mind was immediately taken back to those days my son wrestled in middle school. Though I loved the sport, as a mom I was a nervous wreck!

Perhaps my heart would have been more settled if my son's team stood on the mat with him, but that isn't wrestling. Wrestling is when two people face each other and battle it out - just the two of them. With that said, my son was never alone. His entire team stood on the sidelines and shouted words of "You got this! You can do it!"

One day I came across a scripture and decided to write it down for my son. Before his match I read this passage to him. I never thought this scripture would prove to strengthen me as well.

"Get up and get dressed. Go out! For see, today I have made you immune to their attacks. You are strong like a fortified city that cannot be captured, like an iron pillar, or bronze wall. None of the Kings, officials, priests, or people of Judah will be able to stand against you. They will try, but they will fail. For I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the Lord have spoken."  Jeremiah 1:17-19 (NLT)

Of course I changed the ending of the verse to sound something like this:

"None of your opponents will be able to stand against you. They will try . . ."  and my son's response was, "But they will fail."

My son didn't win every match but he stood without fear and overcame difficult challenges. One of his greatest victories came when asked to wrestle up from his weight category in a varsity tournament. As a sixth grader he had never wrestled before this year.

His opponent stood taller and weighed more. But before facing the giant, my son had to work his way up to the big guy. He had to win every match to get to the championship.  He dug deep and pulled out strength we didn't know he had. He fought hard. The battles were tough and tiring. But in the end, my son stood tall, undefeated, and with a championship victory medal around his neck.

Life can be very much like that. And there are days we need to say to our self, "Get up! Get dressed! you can do this!" Our strength comes from Christ - but it is also a battle of the mind and heart. If my son didn't believe he could do it, he probably would have failed. Had he feared his opponents, he probably wouldn't have fought as hard as he did.

My encouragement to you today is to rise up in the name of the Lord. Set your thoughts upon Christ's strength. The battle has been won. The enemy has been defeated. The victory is ours. Greater is He [God] who is in you, than he [Satan] who is in the world.

Through Christ, you are stronger than you think . . . and God says, "I will take care of you. I, the Lord have spoken."

Three Things to Set You on the Path to Victory

1. Get in the Word:  Come to understand the power of God's strength. We do that by reading about Him and His victories. God is our coach. 
2. Change your thinking: Believe God created you with purpose and passion. He will turn your pain into something far greater than expected. God will use your pain to change you and others if you will allow it.   
3. Build Strength: Just like those who work out to build muscle strength, the same could be said for us trying to live in a dangerous world. We need to strengthen our hearts and minds. We do that by memorizing scripture, posting passages around your home, car, and office, and by meditating on God's word. Believe that through Christ you can rise up from a defeated position to a victorious stance.