Opposition, Wrestling, and Training

When I wrestled, my usual weight class was 189. This is the 3rd heaviest weight class in high school, and so I was a good deal larger and stronger than most of my teammates. If I wanted an easy match-up for practice, I could choose the 112 or even 145, and I'd be able to go through practice hardly breaking a sweat while my foe would be straining, trying to move more mass than he ever would need to in a match. However, we didn't get to choose our practice partners. Our coach would pair us up with whoever he wanted us to, and for me that was quite often our heavyweights (which could weigh up to 285). In these practices, I'd be the one pushing hard and straining to move mass greater than I normally would be called on to endure. This might not seem fair, but the fact that I normally practiced with heavier opponents allowed me to be stronger and more prepared for match day. This is the greatest reason we have for why opposition is so crucial in this life; having more required of us allows us to grow more and to become stronger for it.

A simple illustration of the match-ups

That makes enough sense. If our life is a time to grow, then we'll be given exercises and practices that will expand our abilities, test our skills, and develop our characters. So why does life seem so unfair at times? Even when we have the comfort that our trials will be for our benefit, it is still no fun to go through them. Let me share with you another wrestling trial: since my wrestling team was short a few members, I would often wrestle up a class; while still weighing in at 189 or less, I'd wrestle those in the 215 weight class. On match day, not just during practice, I'd be put up against somebody heavier and (often) stronger than I was. This is no longer time to grow and develop, a practice with no affect on my record; I was simply having a match that was tougher than those around me and that I didn't feel prepared for. Our trials in life often look like this; we are under-prepared, under-weight, under-skilled, and we don't have the freedom of mistakes that comes with practice. How can we grow when we are in such an predicament?

It is these instances that we learn what we can't anywhere else. In my matches, I learned endurance, humility, and occasionally self-confidence. In life circumstances we learn similar things; endurance through trials, humility to trust in the Lord, and self-confidence when we finish our trial. In every match I wrestled up, I was able to go in with confidence and cheer because I knew that simply winning wasn't all; if I could resist the pin, I'd help my team with points. If I failed, I could learn to be better next time. Life's trials might not be changed simply by how we feel when we go into them, but we will be changed by our approach to difficult times.

Enduring to the End and Power Stance

For the newcomers, I wrestled in high school. I still think it is one of the great contests of skill and strength, even after the intervening time that I've been able to play basketball and other popular sports with fellow missionaries. I also still think it has some of the greatest teaching opportunities. I remember one wrestling match I had, against another team with a history of winning and the specific guy I was against was ranked much higher than I was. This story will involve some terms specific to wrestling, and to save space here I will direct you to an article on the rules.

Amazingly, I was able to get ahead during the first two (of three) periods and most of the third. Not only was I ahead, but I had three points on this guy and I was feeling good. There was only 30 seconds left, and we were both on our feet. Since the guy I was wrestling had much more experience than I did (I had at most one year and he surely had three or four years, if not more, under his belt), winning by a small margin would be all I could hope for. I didn't need any more points, and if I got too adventurous I could easily have put myself in disadvantageous position and maybe even have gotten pinned. All I needed to do was endure without making a mistake, but also not retreat (that's called stalling and costs points). I needed to "power stance."

A standard wrestling match for me

Power Stance is what my coaches would tell us to keep pushing, be aggressive and make your foe understand that you aren't done, but don't do anything that might compromise your win. It takes power and endurance in the last period, and is not easy. You are tired, you've just used all of your strength and agility to get ahead, and after everything is left on the mat you need to leave a bit more. It might be the hardest thing you've ever done, yet it is essential to keep going in order to win.

Unfortunately for my record, I did not power stance properly. I was overconfident and my foe took advantage of a foot that slipped too far and I was too weak in bringing it back. He took me down, and even got near to pinning me, and in those last 30 seconds I gave up 5 points and lost the match. I now look back, and though I know that that one match wouldn't have changed too much of my life I still wish I could have endured a little bit better.

All of us have the opportunity every day to endure, be it well or not. Our life is much like a wrestling match, one where we are ahead at the start and as we apply Christ's grace into our lives. However, we are still constantly under attack, and if we slip up we are always in danger of falling under the influence of Satan. We too need to use a "power stance," or a certain method of aggressively protecting ourselves from his attacks. As we listen to the words of God, found in scripture or the words of His prophets, we will be educating ourselves as to how to power stance. As we apply the things we learn, we'll be properly holding the power stance. And as we execute the power stance all the way to the end of our life, we will hear those blessed words: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21).

Wrestling

One of my first real moments of applying the scriptures to myself happened a few years ago, after I'd been wrestling for a while. It involved taking something I'd heard in the scriptures countless times, and applying it to something that was new in my life in a way I hadn't though of before.

I'm on the left, crossing my feet. Still need to learn.

For those that know a bit about wrestling, there are many facets of the sport that are required to be mastered before you can be even a little good, such as how to stand (stance), how to attack (shoot), how to defend (sprawl), how to win (pin or score points). The first thing that I learned was that this was going to be hard, after 45 minutes or so of near solid running during the first practice. The next thing I'm not sure, but one of the early instructions was on how to improve my stance. Stay low, stay on your toes, don't cross your feet, and keep a stiff neck. Another time I learned how to improve my defense and avoid being pinned. Control my center of gravity, stay off my back, and be ready to keep my neck stiff. With offense, the key was speed, form, and using my neck at times to control where I was going.

Do you see the common thread? During a sport like wrestling, having a strong neck will help you go where you want to go and prevent you from being subject to the wiles of your opponent. When almost on my back, I could keep going if I just had my neck rigid and keeping my shoulders off the mat. When facing somebody better on his feet than I was, if I kept my neck strong I'd be able to shrug off some of his attacks and not be whipped around by him. I was then reading in the scriptures and remembered all the times that "stiff necks"(2 Nephi 28:14) or "stiffnecked people" (Mosiah 13:29) where mentioned and condemned. Why would something so essential in one activity be condemned in religion? Because of the person we are being stiffnecked against.

In wrestling, having a stiff neck is you resisting your opponent's will and going your own direction. This is the idea and goal. In scriptures, having a stiff neck is resisting the will of God and instead striving to do your own thing. This is being prideful and will only result in frustration and humbling experiences. What we need to do is to shake our necks out, relax them for a while, and follow the directions of the prophets, both ancient and modern. As we do that we will find greater peace and ability in our lives, for we know God "will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13) and bring us happiness. I know that I've experienced my truest joy as I follow the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that you can too.

This was not my first moments of "applying" scripture to myself. I've often read 1 Nephi 3:7 and thought to myself "Yeah, I just need to go and do and the Lord will provide a way," and that is certainly a way to apply the scriptures to our lives. The next step is to see how anything we do can be related to the scriptures, and so our scripture study becomes meaningful and significant every day. I know that you can find similar mental bridges between the scriptures and yourself, and that in doing so you will find your scripture study personally significant every single day.