Life Lessons from Ric Flair, Pt. 5

“I’m a limousine ridin’, jet flyin’, kiss stealin’, wheelin’ dealin’ son of a gun.” - Ric Flair

If you ever watched pro wrestling in the late 70′s, or you saw Ric Flair cut a promo on TV, you heard this phrase. The mystique of the 4 Horsemen was that they were the richest, wildest, most sought after wrestlers in the business, and back then, they were. Ric was bragging, but it was also true. The Horsemen were known for their limousine riding, jet flying, philandering, under handed practices, and Flair was ringleader and mouth piece.

Ric wanted you to be envious and jealous. That was the character her played, and he played it extremely well. In fact, the 4 Horsemen were often the same way off camera as they were on camera.

But the limos, jets, and entourage of lovely ladies came about by their work ethic. The Horsemen were the hardest working (and playing) stable of wrestlers in the business. They protected each other, they were always around, and they always had a plan.

And when it comes to Biblical “wheelin’ and dealin’,” you have to be talking about the Apostle Paul.

Paul was originally named Saul from the town of Tarsus where he grew up learning both the Jewish law and the Greek ways of philosophy and logic. After the crucifixion of Jesus, and the rise of Christian church, Saul was strongly against it. His position in the Roman Government led Saul to persecute and kill many Christians in Israel and the surrounding area.

While on the road to Damascus in search of other Christians, he had a vision. In this vision, Jesus Christ spoke to him, telling Saul that his persecution and murder of Christians was a persecution of Jesus himself, and that it did not please God. Saul was blinded by the vision. A short time later he met Ananias of Damascus, a disciple of Jesus, and because of Saul’s conversion to Christianity, his sight was restored.

Saul’s viewpoint was so changed by this experience, he changed his name to Paul and he dedicated his life to serving Jesus Christ. He used his earlier education to explain his new found faith with everyone he came into contact with. He traveled around the Roman Empire, teaching others about Christianity, and wrote letters back and forth with the churches he helped start. It’s those letters contain many important parts of the Biblical Christian teaching we use today. Paul was the New Testament “wheeler and dealer.”

But all of Paul’s accomplishments did no come without a price, in Paul’s own words in 2 Corinthians, he says, “…in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeying often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in watching often, in hunger and thirst, in fasting often, in cold and nakedness.”

Ric Flair, pro wrestling’s wheeler and dealer, paid the price for being a professional wrestler: broken bones, broken relationships, addictions, and personal losses, are all present is Ric’s life. Being a Christian wheeler and dealer comes with a price as well. You will be considered odd, maybe even an outcast. You will lose relationships, and you will suffer emotional losses. You will make sacrifices that others don’t understand, and you will be overwhelmed with compassion for people that you have never met.

But the blessings [positives] outweigh the costs [negatives]. You will live a full and abundant life. Your relationship with Christ will see you through any problems you will encounter, and you will live a life that is the greatest adventure you can imagine. All because of your willingness to serve and follow Jesus Christ just like Paul.