(It’s Wrestlemania week on POP GOD! Join us everyday this week as we count down to Wrestlemania XXIX this Sunday with new posts searching for God in the squared circle.)

What is the ultimate accomplishment in sports?

It’s not championships. It’s not the Hall of Fame.

It’s being undefeated.

Undefeated means perfection. Zero losses. Zero hits. Flawless victory. All As and no absences. Five stars.

Look what’s swept the sports nation recently. Not March Madness – the Miami Heat’s undefeated streak.

The Heat’s 27 straight win streak captivated the nation because we seek perfection. When we witness it, we are often in awe.

In the wrestling world, the word undefeated is synonymous with one man – The Undertaker.

For over 20 years The Undertaker has been undefeated on the grandest stage of them all, Wrestlemania. In that time he’s defeated the greatest wrestling stars of the past two decades – Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Ric Flair, Edge, Randy Orton, Jake “The Snake” Roberts. The list goes on and on.

The Undertaker’s streak is legendary and unprecedented. No wrestler has or probably ever will come close to matching it, much less overcoming it.

The record still lives on. At this year’s Wrestlemania CM Punk will challenge The Undertaker and try to hang a loss on the greatest streak still standing in sports entertainment.

CM Punk knows a little bit about streaks. His streak of 434 days as WWE Champion was just ended by The Rock a few months ago. Punk’s streak as champ was the longest of any superstar in two decades. But it could not last forever. No streak ever does.

The unfortunate truth is perfection is temporary. Whether in loss, in retirement, or in death, every undefeated journey will come to an end.

Even The Undertaker’s streak will fall one day. No mere mortal may ever defeat him at Wrestlemania, but the most devilish of opponents will one day do him in – Time.

There is no shame in being imperfect. Perfection is an illusion.

Except, that is, when it comes to God’s grace.

Throughout the course of time, God’s grace has remained undefeated against all comers. No matter what obstacles are placed in front of it, no matter what injustice a nation can commit, nothing has ever gotten in the way of God’s grace. No sin, no flaw, no failure is to big for Him to cover over:

What are we then to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?…Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more has been raised…Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or anguish or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?…No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us. (Romans 8:31-37)

Grace keeps coming back. Grace keeps fighting. And our imperfections are built into God’s undefeated grace.

Our failures enable us to stop trying to be perfect on our own and start depending on God. His love burns brighter when we humble ourselves before Him. Through depending on His undefeated streak, we become more than conquerors.

We don’t have to kill ourselves trying to be perfect. We can stand strong against our flaws knowing nothing can erase God’s undefeated love for us.

It doesn’t matter how well things have been going for you lately. Your streak of perfection is bound to end. There is no shame in this.

Will your world crumble with the loss? Or will you fall back into the loving arms of God and face the next battle with an undefeated ally on your side?

Stop trying to be perfect. Start depending on the only undefeated streak that matters to carry you through each day.

What’s the greatest undefeated streak you’ve ever seen? How have you seen God’s grace overcome your fears and flaws?  Where do you need to stop trying to be perfect? Leave a comment and join the conversation: