Then other wrestlers began to tell me about the truth they knew about God. When I was hanging out with this one guy he told me a what if story which he had heard from his pastor. He said, "IMAGINE YOU ARE FLYING IN A JUMBO JET AND THEN IT STARTS FALLING TO THE EARTH. WHAT WOULD YOU DO?." Most people would say that they would confess their sins and ask God for forgiveness so that they will be ready for eternity. Then another question comes, "WHAT IF THE PILOT SUDDENLY WAS ABLE TO GET CONTROL OF THE PLANE AND LAND SAFELY. WOULD YOU REMEMBER YOUR PROMISE TO GOD? OR WOULD YOU GO BACK TO YOUR OLD WAYS?. When he asked that I told him I had heard enough of it.
God planted another seed in me when I read Ted Dibiases(THE MILLION DOLLAR MAN) book EVERY MAN HAS HIS PRICE. Ted had recounted his journey from wrestlers bad boy to his new life in Christ. I could identify with this story. I am so grateful that God was going to do everything to break me so he could make me new.
Another time I was walking through a hotel lobby after a big WCW event when this really big guy a couple of his buddies stopped me. He said his name was Simeon Nicks and that he was a friend of Ted Dibiase and also the worship leader at Bell Shoals Baptist Church. He had heard that I had been going to church a little bit lately and he asked, "STING WE WOULD YOU MIND IF WE PRAY WITH YOU" There were standing in a hotel with people everywhere and I was sweating bullets. My mind wasn't really into the prayer that was made but on the elevator doors. I also kept wandering what if Rick Flair or any of the other guys think if they saw this. I also thought to myself, " Im going to punch Ted in the mouth next time I see him." When the prayer was over I scurried right to the elevator. As I did this Simeon called," HEY STING IF THE PLANE GOES DOWN WHERE WILL YOU SPEND ETERNITY?" This time I couldn't shake off the wondering WHAT IF THE PLANE GOES DOWN? Is that all there is or is the message of Christ real? What is God trying to tell me?
On a trip home to California Sue(his wife at the time) and I went with Jeff and his family to a church where Jeff was a elder. When the pastor invited people to receive Christ at the end of the service I got all emotional and both Sue and I raised our hands in acceptance. When we walked out of the church nothing really had changed. When we returned to Atlanta I began think that if I was to get my life together we would need some different influences. It was obvious that Jeff and his family had something we didn't. I figured if we could be near my family who knew the lord maybe it could start rubbing off on Sue and me. I was out of control and desperate for a change. Sue and I moved our family back to California which Sue had been wanting to do for years but I wouldn't allow it. I just couldn't see us raising a family there. I promised again that I would be a better husband because of the influence of my brother and the rest of the family.
Soon after we moved back to California we saw how happy and obedient Jeffs kids were so we asked Jeff what his secret was to raising such great kids. Jeff and his wife taught a parenting class called GROWING KIDS GODS WAY. Jeff offered to give us a class once a week at his house. It became a guideline for Sue and me for raising our kids and we saw immediate results. We were the kind of people who might see the right thing to do in raising our kids but we took none of it in when it came our own lives. About a year later I went with Jeff, my Dad, and my other brother, Mark, to a Promise Keepers event in Los Angeles. I had never seen so many people who were singing together and talking about faith, priorities, and family. It really got under my skin. I had not really been paying attention to my relationship with Sue and there were so many things I had been doing that she didn't know about. The guilt was unbearable. Again I went down to the front to receive Jesus. Something in me had not clicked the first time and I still felt I was not there as far as the Lord was concerned. I kept thinking to myself that it would stick this time. The whole family was freaking out about me going out front to receive Jesus. But my superstar life was no different. The next Monday I was back in Atlanta on Nitro with 20 million people watching.
Chapter 15 MOMENT OF TRUTH: Over the next year God continued to work on me through Jeff, Ted Dibiase, and many others. They were also the biggest times in my career. The truth of the matter is I was more trying to deal with God then give my life to him. My sin made me sick but its not enough to know that sin is wrong; God wants to teach us how to hate sin. Like he does. Our sin sent his son to die in our place. I would die for my kids. I cant imagine the pain of a parent who loses their child- but somehow in Gods plan that is what he did for me. God gave up his only son to pay for the wrong things that I had done. As that truth sunk in I realized that not only did I want to go to Heaven and not Hell but I needed to feel the sorrow that comes from knowing what my sin had done to Jesus.
Soon after we first moved to California we went on a rare family vacation to Hawaii. For the first time ever Sue went through my luggage and she found a large bottle of prescription drugs. I had denied her questions about using drugs before. I had told her that I was having insomnia and she bought me herbal tea and other methods that were suppose to help me sleep. She didn't know anything about me depending on drugs or even alcohol so I could sleep. I was motivated to bring the bottle on the trip by the thought of going for a week without any artificial help. She was shocked and hurt when she found them but now Im glad she did. This was on the first day of the trip and Sue and I barely spoke to each other during the rest of it. My stupidity had created a cold distance between us. I made Sue give me back the bottle and it was empty by the end of the trip. Shortly after we got home the boys were playing in the back yard and Sue and I were alone in the house. Sue confronted me by saying, " You lied to me about the prescription drugs. Is there anything else you have kept a secret from me?" This moment was arranged by God himself. Every MOMENT OF TRUTH takes a different shape for everyone. For me it was admitting that I had betrayed my wife and family for all those years when I was trying to make it big, and when I did my sin kept on going. There was no gratefulness in my heart it was all about what I wanted not what God wanted. "yes" I had answered my wife with. That caused the floodgate of repentance to open that God had been waiting for- being truly sorry for my sin and truly believing that God will save me from all unrighteousness. The truth really does set you free. Suddenly the weight of the world was off my shoulders. I told Sue about my dark past and it filled me with hope with the realization that my sins were forgiven. It was like I had driven a dagger in my wifes heart. She had gotten answers to questions that she had been afraid to ask and I begged her to forgive me.
Many times during this process the devil kept accusing me of the sins of which I had been forgiven. Discouraging new believers is one of satans big tactics. He wants us to believe that weve done too many bad things that God could never forgive us. But the people God had put in my life reminded me that God was trustworthy and that when he says he forgives us we are forgiven. He means it. Theyre gone. The revelations of that day were Sues worst fears about our relationship and that I had been living a double life for so long. But God had put a fresh love in my heart for Sue and I was willing to do anything to be a husband and father honoring God and win back the family I had treated with such disregard.
The renewal in our relationship did not happen over night. Sue was very hurt and justifiably so. I had believed that God would wave his magic wand and everything would be perfect. But instead my confession created a whirlwind in my home which could only be repaired through the miracle of Gods grace. I begged her to let me stay but Sue shut me out of the house. She actually let me back in the house that first night for the sake of the kids. From that act of grace on her part we began to rebuild our relationship brick by brick and God began his work in healing it. That painful day with all its regret on my part was the step that started Sue on her journey to forgiveness and the full establishment of our marriage on the absolute truth of God and full disclosure.
Not only did I have to face my wife and deal with my sin but I also felt the definite prompting of God to tell the guys at WCW what had happened and that I had become fully devoted follower of Christ. These guys had known me for many years and they clearly understood the dark side of my life. Now I had to tell them what Jesus had done for me and that I was a changed man. I went to guys individually and in small groups. Most of them said they understood and wished me well but others didn't get it at all. They thought I had become a religious nut case. Gods plan is always perfect and he knew that what I needed most was time with Sue and my family. I also needed to develop a whole new circle of relationships with people who believe the Bible is the Word of God and who live by its standards. He had given me a real desire to know his word and share my faith.
