Recently, I read
an article regarding Tim Tebow’s departure this past week from the New England
Patriots as the third-string quarterback and how it relates to his “faith”
journey. This is my response to
said article, which you can find here
if you are interested.
As a
passionate Arkansas Razorback fan and an SEC rival to the University of
Florida, I did not care for Tim Tebow from the beginning. I respected his freakish ability as a
rare and skilled NCAA football player, and one of the best at that, but nothing
more. Around the time He won the
Heisman (and Darren McFadden placed second as a record-setting Razorback RB), I
learned of the “real” Tim Tebow involving his life off the field and his
identity in something (Someone; Jesus Christ) bigger than football. I begin to hear this passion in his speech. It was then that I personally became more supportive and
wanted to see him lead his team to victory and receive national attention in
order to give him the opportunity to represent Jesus Christ and give the glory
to God in front of a culture that so desperately needed to hear the Gospel. And for this reason, I still root for
Tim Tebow.
Last
week, unsurprisingly to many, Tebow was cut from the New England Patriot’s
roster. Having just fulfilled
roughly three years in the NFL, he was let go. As it stands, he is yet to be picked up by another team,
which could come about in the days to follow, even though many see his NFL
career as nearly finished.
To say
that Tim Tebow is a polarizing figure in the sports world is a huge
understatement. Ask anyone who
knows a thing or two about the NFL and they will have an opinion about Tim
Tebow—good or bad. However, you
gotta give it to him, the man is a class act. He represents principles, sportsmanship, and a desire to
model Christ wherever he goes. And
for that, I am encouraged by his example.
In
response to the article, “Thinking
Evangelically About Tim Tebow” by Jared C. Wilson, which I alluded to
before, I can agree that if an NFL team decides not to take a chance on the
likes of Mr. Tebow, then Tim will ultimately portray Christ in another
environment to a different people.
He has given his life and been outspoken regarding his faith in God, and
to my knowledge, has shown the world that so eagerly watches what a man of God
looks like in the flesh.
Through
the media, Tim has expressed his desire to remain in the NFL as a quarterback,
which I take to be genuine and real, and not necessarily in conflict with his
first love, Jesus. However, this
desire is mainly out of his control.
Who knows where he will land?...if even in a roster spot at all… One
thing is for certain, God is glorified!
And maybe God is saying to Tim and the world that awaits, “I used you as a college and professional
athlete, for a time, to point others to Me and now I have a different plan than
you do, a part of the larger picture that you don’t see, Tim. I’m going to use you to reach more
people for my Kingdom in a different role than if you had stayed an NFL
quarterback.” And if this be
the case, and time will tell which path God has for him, then we can look at
Tim’s obedience to God first, not football, as the mark of true character,
which he already seems to display.
Lets
bring this home a bit! I think its
safe to say that we do a good job of making plans for our lives based on our
temporal, shallow understanding (I am not saying that Tebow is doing
this). Making it even more
personal now, I am great at “playing
God” and manipulating what I think is best for me according to my desires and
needs. Ultimately, what I need is to pull back from my narrow
perspective and ask the daring question, “God, what do you want from me? What can I do and where can I go to
display your Son as best I can to those around me?” This mindset, this heart cry is what God wants from us, from
me. And I find myself in a time
where personal direction is desired and necessary. And now that my attitude is becoming more aligned with His
Glory and Plan, not mine, I am totally free and I am willing to follow. And at this conjunction, the place
where my desires and priorities begin to take a backseat to His, I find peace
and rest. Realignment with God’s
Plan is not a one-time decision, but a frequent surrendering to His wisdom and
will.
Assuming
that Tim Tebow never plays another NFL game, would you consider this a loss for
the Kingdom of God, considering the sheer influence and attention that he
generates as an NFL player, or do you think this devoted follower of Christ can
be used in greater ways by God who so desperately wants the world to know of
His Love?
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