Wrestling with Culture 1: Cena
Author: Christopher Crawford
Scripture tells us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but we do wrestle with the world around us—with music, with ideas, with movies, with TV shows, with the values and views of the world. This is a Wrestling with Culture devotion from NetCast Christian Church.
John Cena is near the end of his farewell tour. In the beginning, however, his career was an epic failure. He had worked hard and trained, but he was about to be cut from the WWE roster. Still, he held onto hope. Instead of giving up when he got the news, he leaned into his mission to entertain—sometimes even if it was just the small crowd of wrestlers on the bus traveling from town to town. That persistence earned him another chance to live out the hope in his heart.
Over the years, whether he was the heroic “face” or the baddest “heel,” he never gave up. That message of hope became his trademark slogan. Every time he grabbed a microphone, he told the crowd: Never give up. When he made it to the top, he lived that message out—not only in words, but also in actions. Cena has granted more wishes through the Make-A-Wish Foundation than any other celebrity in history.
At every stop of his farewell tour, people have told him how much his message mattered. Some wore his Never Give Up wristbands to chemo treatments. Others taped his picture in their locker as a reminder to keep going.
As believers, this message of hope—this call to never give up—reminds us of the words the prophet Jeremiah delivered to God’s people:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah 29:11
So this week, when you’re feeling down, when you’re anxious, when you feel hopeless, remember this: Never give up. God has a plan for you—a good plan, a hopeful plan, a plan for a better tomorrow.
