Tebow Madness

Everywhere you turn there's talk about Tim Tebow. Even those who don't particularly like football are joining in on the conversation. There are those who love him and there are those who despise him. There are those who love all the attention he's getting and there are those who wish everyone would just stop with all the chatter.

I must admit, the Tebow madness is a bit peculiar. Afterall, there have always been those players who take a knee after scoring a touchdown, or point to the heavens. There have always been those who thank God for their success, but for some reason there's much more hoopla about this kid. For some reason there is a spotlight on him that is unlike anything I've ever seen.

Perhaps its his story. Afterall, had his mom taken the advice of her doctors she would have aborted him after experiencing complications during her pregnancy. So, from the beginning he seems to be one who beats the odds. Throughout his life he's been told by "experts" he doesn't have to tools to play quarterback, yet he just steps on the field and plays quarterback. Not only does he play quarterback, but somehow and someway more times than not, he seems to find a way to win. To make the story more interesting he does so without fitting into some pre-established quarterback mold and leaves all the experts scratching their heads. Perhaps the fascination with Tebow is just the fact that he stands toe to toe with all the naysayers and proves them wrong. Maybe the fascination with this kid is just the way he seems to be so secure in who he is that "proving" those opposing voices wrong is really more a result of just being who he is and less about proving anything to anyone.

There are those that would love for him to tone down the Jesus rhetoric. Afterall, does God really help him throw touchdown passes and win football games? Well, if we buy into what the "experts" say, there's no way he could do it with his skill set. Some say he's just got a lot of heart and never gives up. Yet, I've seen a lot of athletes with a lot of heart and who never give up that don't have the kind of success that Tebow has. So, how do you explain this phenomenon? Does God really empower this young man while he's on the football field?

I'm not sure how important football is to God, but I do know that God can breath on human flesh and it make it perform beyond it's own ability. Take David in the Bible for instance. Was he really such a sharp shooter with his little sling that he managed on one shot to nail the giant in one of the only exposed places on his body that would bring him tumbling to the ground? I have to believe this unproven warrior brought down the giant with a little help from above. Gideon, Moses, Sarah, Abraham, Mary, Peter, Paul, and on and on the list goes of men and women whose flesh needed the blessing of God to do some of the things they did. Those who don't believe those stories could never fathom Tebow experiencing God's favor in his life. On the other hand those who do believe those stories should not struggle with the possibility that God's favor is all over this young man.

As I've watched all of this play out over the last several months, one thing that really stands out to me is that its not really about football. Sure, he plays football, but the sport doesn't define him. Whether he wins or loses he just never seems to get too up or down. When he's praised he is quick to divert it and when he's criticized he doesn't let it rattle him. At the end of the day, he understands that succeeding at football pales in comparison to a cross and an empty tomb.

I like Tim Tebow. Not because he plays football, but because I see in him something I wish I would have had at his age. What am I saying? I see something in him I wish I had at my age today. He's a man of conviction and carries a strength that very few have. When I look at him I just see a person who serves as a model of how a believer should approach life. No, he's not perfect and he's not superman. He's a man on a journey just like the rest of us that Scripture calls "living epistles read of all men." He seems to live his life with the Scripture constantly in mind.

While I would love to see him continue on and win the Super Bowl, only God knows how the script will play out. If he loses the experts will be quick to say "I told you so." If he wins Hollywood will be lining up to make make the movie. Regardless of what happens on the football field somehow I believe it will do little to change this young quarterback. Afterall, he understands that his position on a football field is secondary to his position as a child of God.