Mike Stokes MT: Christ is the Calm Amidst Chaos
Christ Is the Calm Amidst the Chaos
By Coach Mike Stokes – Darkhorse Wrestling Club (Billings, MT)
The quote on the back of our Disciples Club shirts says it best:
Ephesians 6:12: "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,
against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness,
against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."
The ultimate battle is with ourselves: spiritual not physical, versus evil not in flesh but in spirit.
RMN Events is Christ-centered, so even hundreds of miles from Montana, I know we are at home. Before we leave Billings, I bless the van for safe travels. On the road as well as in the venue, we are in the Lord's hands. When Ed opens the tournament with prayer, I know I am where I am meant to be, wrestling with Christ, side-by-side with an organization that makes God's work its mission.
The Lord will always place you in a position to do your best. If you can put your faith in Christ, wrestling will take care of itself, for whether you win or lose is in His arms. In the big picture, with Christ in your heart, you need never be overwhelmed. Just relax and deal with what is in your power to control.
Christ is the calm amidst the chaos. Breathe, for this too shall pass. God will see you through.
People love the Lord when things are going well. The challenge is to love Him when it all goes wrong. Excuses live in Christ, not in the flesh. We wrestle, just as we live, because the Lord is teaching us a lesson. You will always find upsets and defeat, in life and on the mat. But if you trust in God, the Holy Spirit inside will navigate you through the darkness.
How you wrestle correlates with how you live your life. At a wrestling tournament, if you think bad things will happen, it's self-fulfilling. Followers of Christ find a way to pull through. With Christ in your heart, you will always be more truthful and forthcoming. Accept your best effort, win or lose. Do your best – forget the rest.
Wrestling through Christ builds a tight community. Just as wrestling is tough, so is life. No wrestler who accomplished big things ever did so without the Lord's hand involved. What the successful competitor has is faith in God. It will all work out as it is meant to be.
Everyone is on best behavior when others are watching. What you do when no one is observing defines who you are as a person. As a black man, for civil rights I lean on the Lord, especially when the sun goes down. Lord, just bring me home safe and sound.
If more people had Christ in their lives, we would all be kind to one another regardless of our differences. God gives us free will to make a choice; with that choice comes responsibility. Being human, many of us are all too consumed with things of the flesh, fulfilling selfish needs. Ultimately, we are here on Earth to serve the Lord and our fellow man.