Former professional wrestling champion, Chris Benoit, horrified the nation recently with the murder of his wife, son and himself. After the news broke, the internet quickly filled with statistics showing the untimely deaths of over 60 former professional wrestlers. After reading through the names of the deceased, I was saddened not only for the lives lost, but for the tainting of a once regal sport.

Now, you may be one of those who still think that wrestling is fake but for the purist, it will always be “Rasslin’” and it will always be real. Don’t believe me? Comedian Andy Kaufman didn’t believe either, that is until he met the right hand of the “Law”…..The King Jerry Lawler. Yes, it’s sad that I would remember that. As I strolled down memory lane, I realized that much of what I have learned in life has been learned by watching those Titans in Tights, Squires of the Squared Circle, Masters of the Mat, the Heroes of the Headlock. Speaking of Headlocks, had I not been schooled in evasive techniques, you may not be reading this right now. I am one of the few, the proud, escapees of the Benji Fontenot Headlock. Benji, was a fifth grade phenom. His strength was superhuman, his breath was super Skoal. At recess one day I found myself on the receiving end of his signature move…it was go time. With stealth and stamina, I used a combination move that Nature Boy Ric Flair himself would be proud of. See, and you thought there was no educational value to watching Rasslin’.

Something else I learned was that: Rasslers rassle to Win!. In Rasslin there aren’t any “participation” awards given. You either win or lose. Can you imagine the Junkyard Dog congratulating the Iron Sheik on a good effort? C’mon now. For starters Sheik’s handler, Skandar Akbar, didn’t put up with “effort,” it was win at all costs for his protégé’s. To quote Jake the Snake Roberts: “Win if you can, lose if you must, but always… cheat!” Obviously I am not saying we need to heed the advice of Mr. Roberts, but why are we so comfortable with losing? As a society we have grown so soft that we can’t even announce winners anymore. For instance, we have replaced “and the winner is” with “the Oscar goes to.” Even Miss America doesn’t know who she is until she finds out who the “first runner up” is. Losing has become so accepted that if you actually care about winning you are thought of as being overbearing, too serious or intolerant. Go to most youth sports events and there isn’t even a scoreboard! Well, I hate to break it to you, but in life, there is a scoreboard. In every area of our lives we are either winning or losing…period. The bad news is: not looking at the scoreboard doesn’t change the fact that it is there. The worse news is: the clock is running. So the question is: are you winning or losing? Look at every area of your life and be honest with yourself. Are you still dealing with the same problems you dealt with a decade ago? If so, I would say you are losing in that area. Now here is the good news. You don’t have to rassle the problem alone. You have the ultimate tag-team partner just a prayer away. In the legendary “loser leaves town” match between the Shepherd Boy David and the original “Eighth Wonder of the World,” Goliath, David said the following: “You come against me with sword and spear, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty.” 1 Samuel 17:45. My question to you is: will you accept the outstretched hand of your tag team partner? Jesus will come to your rescue…only if you let him.