When I was in junior high we all had to take a PE class which sometimes involved team sports and at other times focused on individual athletics. There was always a wrestling unit for 2-3 weeks that very few of us looked forward to (or perhaps it was just my own dread.) Our PE coach would put us all in weight classes and then pair us off to wrestle on the big mat. Not only were you being asked to grapple with a classmate who you may or may not know very well (but soon would), but it was done in front of the entire class. Your peers (30-40 people) would sit around the mat and watch as you grappled with a classmate in ways that would cause a fight if you did it outside of the gym. There were only two ways this was going to work out: you were either going to embarrass someone or be embarrassed. My athletic abilities didn’t kick in until several years later and I almost always ended up on the defeated side of embarrassment.
The idea of wrestling is still a difficult one for me, but not necessarily on a physical level. Now most of my wrestling is in prayer as I struggle through asking God for the right things and in the right time. I tell people constantly that prayer doesn’t have to be difficult, but that we can just talk to God and He is thrilled to have our attention and conversation. I still believe that to be true, but I also know there are times when we have to battle through difficult questions and wait for answers. I am wrestling with God in prayer now and it isn’t easy. It would be simpler to tap out and quit, but I know that isn’t the best solution. I’ve got to push through even though I may get tired, sweaty, and frustrated. It’s in the act of wrestling that God shares His answers, reveals His nature, and shapes my character.
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