Wrestling, as a game or sports, did not interests me much. For the sake of knowing the sport and in admiration of their hard work, I’d watched the game. It’s a tiresome sporting adventure but when their hard work really paid off, it can change their fortune.
By definition, to wrestle is to force someone into a particular position by grappling with them. As a sport, it involves combat and grappling the opponent trying to cut-out their advances and manipulating their strength in forcing or throwing them on the ground. When some athletes can’t throw the game because of injury, I empathized them.
In this games and sports, to simply put it, the player must try and brought down the opponent who is trying his best to refrain from falling down. Grappling and toppling the unwilling, in normal practices, is never easy. It takes lots of efforts and tactics to uproot a well-built person.
The recent release of the Bollywood (Hindi Film Industry) blockbuster, Dangal (Wrestling Competition) in India represent the hard work of wrestlers behind the scenes for us who did not accessed into their training podium. The hard works and inspirations, which would take them into the beautiful yet tension filled wrestling bouts in the world of sports.
The movie, Dangal, follows the life of free style wrestlers, the Phogat family, from Balali Villages in Bhiwani District, Haryana, India. The Phogat Sisters, who were trained by their father, went on to win gold medals in different editions of Commonwealth Wrestling Championships.
This biographical drama film depict the plight of a father who vows to realize his dream by training his daughters after he failed to secured gold medals for his country. In other words, it is a about a family who tries to grapple their fortune despite the struggles it takes.
In the game of life, in some way, we are presented in the wrestling bout as our everyday life is filled with struggles. Some struggled with lifelong depression, poverty, wrestled with inner voice, ill-health, and many more. We are challengers of the world so that we’d not get defeated in this bout of life.
It might seem disheartening to present it this way. And I know that sometimes it’s too much of our struggles, for weak persons like me, competing in this game of life. However, that’s the reality of life. And it’s really difficult to meet the requirements of this life should we wanted to lived on.
Wrestling Living:
Since the day of our inception, we wrestle for our survival. The babies born in a unsterile place started wrestling for pumping air into the lungs which would ignite life. In this crucial period, failure to pumped-in air by way of idling would prove detrimental for a new life.
The zeal for living, the zeal to go on, provides the heart of a wrestler in our daily life. Should we remain idle, accepting failures in the midst of time, we’d surely lost the game. I cannot say with certainty that all our acts and struggles would pay off which would turn us into successful persons, but without struggling our bits we’d get into deeper mud of life. So, it is necessary at least for our survival.
In almost every game, timing and techniques decides the winner. As we put it earlier, there are things in life which messes with us, which needs to be toppled or thwarted in the most appropriate time. And without doing so, the reverse advantage will consume our life. Grappling and toppling Satan without the help of God wouldn’t be easy.
The Man Who Wrestle With God
After his staying days with Laban were over, Jacob headed back to his land to meet his brother Esau. He sent his servants to meet Esau before him, as he’s still unsure whether his brother would accept him. So he stayed alone in his camp nearby Jabbok throughout the night.
There, in the darkness of the night, a man (an angel as recorded in Hosea 12:4) wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip pleading to let him go. But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you blessed me.” (Genesis 32:22-31)
It was a game-changer moment for him as the man blessed him there. The man changes his name from Jacob to Israel, because Jacob struggled with God and with humans and overcame him. This man wrestled with anything that comes in his way turning his obstacles into a source of blessings.
Jacob’s wrestle with God was a struggle, in his loneliness, which makes his life worthy. He was still unsure whether his bother would accept him or not. If not, what would be his next step, he must have been in a dilemma and insecure.
What Do You Wrestle With?
Before we were born, we’re not even asked, the game is set. And the technique of winning the game is also given. Many before us and even after us will win the game. What do we wrestle with today depends on our mindset. Do we wrestle for more of our personal gain or for the love of God?
Today, it would be a joyous moment if we wrestle with God as it would draw us closer to Him. It would makes us wanting more of Him. We know that we can’t topple or messed with God’s plan but by begging and holding firmly on God and His promises, God would give us the desires of our heart.
The Bible says, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) Wow! That’ll be hard, someone quips. And it is true. However, with the help of the Spirit, we’ll win the struggle.
It is worth living as there are instances and elements to wrestle with. These wrestling bouts make us know more of the might of God. “It is finished!” declared Jesus Christ on the cross.(John 19:30) And the time will soon come when we enjoy victorious life in its entirety.
Wrestling with life and its consequences by following the instruction given in the manual book – the Holy Bible, is the only way in winning the bout, righting the wrongs. May the grace and mercy of God be with us to everyone wrestling the work of evil!
Let us not simply throw the game without fighting. We better squeezes our strength fighting the opponents as our Abiding Savior did. We would indeed prevail in the right time and in the right place.
