God Can Change Anyone

I admit it. I used to be a hardcore follower of professional wrestling. I watched the WWE as much as I could. I was a fan of the WWE from the early 1980’s to the mid 2000’s. I attended every show that came to Toronto from 1996 to 2005. You could say I was a big fan. I stopped watching wrestling regularly in 2005. Every once in a while I will see it on TV and most of the people I see I don’t know anything about. Very often I will channel surf looking for a game to watch. 

One time there was a show on the OLN channel called Biography: WWE Legends. It is a 2-hour documentary that focuses on wrestlers from the time period I was watching. It is a series that focuses on one wrestler per episode. I have watched a bunch of them, and I have found them all interesting. A lot of information is shared that I did not know was going on behind the scenes. Even if you are not a wrestling fan you might find it very interesting. 

There was one episode that really got my attention. It was an episode about Shawn Michaels. Shawn Michaels was one of the best wrestlers I have ever seen. I must admit I was not a fan of him at the time. I knew back then he was not someone that was liked backstage. After watching the episode, it was confirmed. 

I also learned about a lot of other issues Michaels had. Issues with drugs were the main thing that stuck out. I got the impression that he got away with a lot behind the scenes because he was one of the bigger stars on the roster. 

Even though pro wrestling is scripted, there are a lot of real injuries that happen in a match. Michaels blew out his back in a match in January 1998.  A couple of months later he would wrestle another match before retiring due to the severity of the back injury. It was during this time he would get married to a Christian woman, even though he was not a Christian, and they had a child. (I felt that God was being revealed to Michaels at this time.) 

During the documentary, Michaels was passed out on the couch because of substance abuse. His infant son saw him in that state. Michaels did not want his son to see him in that state again, and knew he needed to change his ways. Michaels got rid of the drugs and visited a church seeking for help, and eventually gave his life to Christ. Michaels even asked for prayer to heal his back so he could wrestle again. 

It is now 2002 and Shawn Michaels has returned to the WWE. Keep in mind back in 2002, I was not aware of the change in his life. Michaels was wearing Christian t-shirts on live TV. I was puzzled at first. His friends confirmed that he was a Christian. Other wrestlers that did not like him confirmed he’s now a Christian. During the documentary, a wrestler named the Undertaker acknowledged that he was a completely different person now. Shawn Michaels was a person that you would not think would ever think would be a Christian. 

It’s amazing what God can do to change someone’s life. It is hard for us to change someone. It is better to pray to God and ask for Him to do what you cannot accomplish with your own strength.

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart, and give you a tender, responsive heart.

Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT)

Written by Criag Williams

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