Sorry again for running late today with the blog. My wife had the day off due to President's Day so we did house stuff. There were also some errands at our school that I needed to do. It was funny seeing my son's face when he came home and his mom was there. It is usually just him and I for awhile so he had a shocked expression. He is going on a field trip tomorrow so it was off to my home away from home to shop for goodies. Then it was off for Monday night at the movies. It is a rare thing for me to go to a movie on my own. This time the movie was more than worth it.

I cannot suggest that you go see "The Wrestler." It is rated R for a reason. You are asking now then why did I go see it? One of my secrets is my involvement with professional wrestling in the past. For a few years, it was my pleasure to spend time with one of the true legendary families in the business. It became a decent friendship where we discussed all kinds of things including being a Christian. Last year I got to work with a wrestling organization that came to Tatum for two shows. My contribution was in setting up the ring, suggesting an idea or two for the matches as well as just showing them around. Much of what this movie shows is exactly what I experienced over the years.

The lead actor truly deserves an Oscar this year. Mickey Rourke literally becomes a pro wrestler in every sense of the word. Yet the story centers in on his emotional issues as it relates to love and family. A health crisis forces him to take inventory of his life with a view to changing his relationships. Here the story slows as we connect to him not as a performer but as a real person. He struggles just like we do with relationships that went sour. We can feel his loneliness as his heart breaks literally and emotionally. The story ends with Randy "The Ram" Robinson doing what he knows best. He flies off the top rope into...?

Like mentioned before, the movie is indeed a very hard R. I went because of my background with people like "The Ram." But I do see most movies through the eyes of my faith. There is even an odd biblical reference in the movie that makes sense at the conclusion. The movie reminds me how often people are depicted without any sense of biblical faith. The characters here are driven by their experiences which are mostly bad. Their sense of identity comes far too often from the unreality of their work. The main characters try to fill the emptiness of their lives without success. In the end, one fulfills destiny but at a high price. The other main character misses out on the future by being stuck in the present.

Wait for the edited and cleaner version of the movie. It will be worth it. Ask yourself then about the quality of your relationships. Take stock of how your faith makes a difference in how you view others. Think about your passion for the life God gives you. Ask yourself how you want to go out when life draws to a close. Then live your life in the fullness of faith to make your happy ending a reality.

Bro. Trey