Kids these days – they don’t know how good they have it.
Have you strolled through the toy section of Target or Walmart lately? It’s amazing how far things have come from when I was kid. Especially with the wrestling figures.
(Click Here if you can’t see the video above)
Now that’s how you sell toys! Gosh, I know that commercial by heart. “So close to the real thing it’s like being in the ring!”
Except as awesome as this advertisement was the toys really didn’t live up to the hype.
You would think the entire idea behind a pro wrestler action figure would be to use him to recreate the matches you saw on tv. If you buy a Hulk Hogan and an Ultimate Warrior and replica ring (with championship belt and American flag included), you would want to use them to replicate your favorite dream matches.
But the official WWF figures of my childhood just weren’t made well. They only had a few points of articulation – some of the had absolutely zero! Most of them came with their bodies contorted in odd shapes that made it all but impossible to create your own classic matches with them.
Try as I might, I never could have that much fun using my WWF figures in my ring. So when I wanted to have wrestling matches in my room, I turned to my other action figures.
I had a lot of action figures growing up. X-Men. Batman. Ninja Turtles. Power Rangers. And all of these figures made for better wrestlers than the real wrestling figures did.
Their arms and legs and heads and torsos could move around in any direction you wanted. You could actually do wrestling moves with them!
So instead of pretending they were superheroes fighting crime, I used all these action figures in the wrestling ring. That’s how I ended up with Chuck Norris battling a Bushwacker (as seen below) for the World Heavyweight Champion of my imaginary action figure wrestling federation.
That’s the great thing about toys: they may come in a prepackaged box with instructions on how to use them, but sometimes they’re way more fun when you use your imagination.
I think a lot of times as Christians we put ourselves in the same box as the inarticulate wrestling toys of my youth.
We think only a certain type of person specially made with a certain kind of label is suited to step into the ring to do battle for Jesus.
Some people believe the only type of person that can serve the church is someone who works inside the walls of a church building or who goes off to another country to do foreign missions.
But what the world truly needs is all types of people putting their lives into action for Jesus.
Secretaries, doctors, cashiers, servers, cheerleaders, toymakers. We need any character we can get of any shape and size with any skill from any walk of life to to offer their unique abilities as a wrestler for the faith.
Our churches ought to look like the replica wrestling ring of my youth – filled with a bunch of mismatched toys who may not look like they belong but have a world of possibilities to offer.
Because we are all action figures: plucked off the shelf, popped out of the package and placed into the arena. We all have something to offer.
Just like with action figures, sometimes the people who look the most well suited for the job on the outside really don’t have what it takes. They may not be able to move or speak or connect the way you think they should. Sometimes the people you would never expect to make an impact are just the people you need.
Its ok to be adventurous when it comes to our toys. Its ok to use our imaginations when it comes to our lives as well.
Whether we fit the mold or not, our churches need every type of figure stepping into the ring and getting into action.
