The Power of Fear
An Essay for Youth Wrestlers
(and their parents)

By: Angela Gillaspie © 2006-2008 All Rights Reserved

Fear can lock you up.

Any fear you have - no matter how small - can spread like a disease and chip away your confidence. Fear is a motivational factor in many sports, but in wrestling it can cripple and often defeat the wrestler before he even steps onto the mat.

The most common fear wrestlers have is the other wrestler. I believe that wrestling is 50% strength and 50% head games. The head games are both given and received, and the most damaging head games are the ones coming from the wrestler himself … "There's no way I can beat him!" "I can't win." "Everyone is going to watch me lose."

Second Timothy 1:7 offers this:

      "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

Fearfulness and cowardice do not come from God. God gives us power, love, and sound mind (which is the same as self-control). He gives us these spiritual gifts - you can call them weapons if you'd like, plus the knowledge and power to use them. This is similar to Spiderman knowing of and having the power to use his gifts of strength and speed to rescue someone.

The power from God allows you to have strength, confidence, and talent to handle situations when they pop up. This is also the physical strength you've developed at practice, the good health you've acquired from eating the food God provided, and it is the wrestling knowledge and techniques that you've picked up from practicing with other wrestlers.

The love that God gives you should be shared with others; it is unconditional and pure. God wants you to love Him and not fear Him - or anyone else. First John 4:18 says:

      "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."

A true understanding of God's love will remove the fear of His judgment. God loves you and wants you to love and respect others. This love isn't that gimme-a-hug-and-some-smooches love like your Aunt Edna gives you, but more of a respectful appreciation of other people.

Open your eyes and heart and you will see that you are not wrestling a supernatural champion of evil, but just a kid - maybe even a scared kid just like you! This realization should calm your spidey-senses and give you the confidence to wrestle that normal skinny kid from the city.

Finally, as you use your spiritual gifts of power and love, you should apply self-control to make sure that you use your gifts properly and at the appropriate time. God gives you discipline and mental toughness so that you can face fear, learn from it, and in turn, share the knowledge you gained with others.

So, who's afraid of the big bad wrestler?

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