Tim Tebow

I need to be more like Tim Tebow. I'm not talking about Tim Tebow the football player. I'm talking about Tim Tebow the shamlessly bold and faithful Christian. For those of you that don't follow sports, let me quickly mention his accolades from the past four years. *

2006 season
SEC All-Freshman Team[69]
SEC Freshman of the Week[70]

2007
Walter Camp Foundation National Offensive Player of the Week[71]
Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week, three times[72][73][74]
Davey O'Brien Award winner[75]
Heisman Trophy winner
Maxwell Award winner[75]
Walter Camp Award finalist[76]
Sporting News Player of the Year
Harley Award winner
NCAA QB of the Year[77]
ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American football team[78]
Manning Award finalist[78]
Rivals.com National Offensive Player of the Year[79]
Rivals.com SEC Offensive Player of the Year[80]
First-team All-SEC (Associated Press,[81] Coaches,[82] Rivals.com[80])
Associated Press SEC Offensive Player of the Year[81]
Associated Press Player of the Year[83]
First-team All-American by: Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, Walter Camp Football Foundation, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, CBS Sports, College Football News, Rivals.com, and Scout.com
James E. Sullivan Award, awarded to the Nations top amateur athlete[84]
Roy F. Kramer SEC Male Athlete of the Year.[85] Third Florida Gator to win this award, Danny Wuerffel (won twice) and Ryan Lochte.
ESPY for Best Male College Athlete[86]

2008 season
First-team All-America by College Football News.
Disney Spirit Award[87]
ESPY for Best Male College Athlete
Heisman Trophy finalist
Manning Award winner
Maxwell Award winner
Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week[88]
2008 SEC Championship Game Most Valuable Player
First-team All-SEC (AP,[89] Coaches,[90] Rivals.com[91])
Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Year
Southeastern Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year[92]
Wuerffel Trophy winner

2009 season
William V. Campbell Trophy (formerly the Vincent dePaul Draddy Trophy, "The Academic Heisman") winner
Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
Heisman Trophy finalist
First-team All-SEC (AP,[93] Coaches,[94] Rivals.com[95])
Second-team All-America (Walter Camp Foundation)
Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Year


Impressive, huh? I haven't followed college football my entire life but I would venture to say that Tebow is perhaps one of the most dynamic players that college football has ever seen. While his quarterback skills are in question, Tebow is undoubtedly going to be picked in the upcoming NFL draft. Yet, with millions of dollars on the table, Tebow will be making a political statement in a Pro-Life Superbowl advertisement this coming weekend. With so much money on the line, it is rare to see someone of Tebow's stature making a political statement that can and will alienate a part of his fan base. As ESPN.com author Jemele Hill stated in her recent article, "an athlete's choosing to do what Tebow is doing might be professional suicide". And yet, she also brought up another good point when she stated "I don't care if you're pro-choice or pro-life, conservative or liberal, God-fearing or atheist, you've got to admire Tebow for standing with conviction, even as he's opening himself and his family up to criticism." This man is shamelessly bold.

After reading this, I can't help but feel that Tim Tebow has the right idea as a Christian. Some may disagree with me in the fact that Tebow is forcing his ideas upon others with a Superbowl advertise, perhaps the single most watched sporting event. I'm not for forcing my ideas upon others either. However, this man finds his identity and security in Christ alone and is not afraid to show it. This man is living out his faith. In an interview last year, Tebow was quote as saying "For me, every day includes four things: God, family, academics, and football, in that order." He's not afraid of the critics nor is he afraid of losing money because of his faith.

Paul talked about this in the book of Romans
Romans 1:16-17
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith"

Romans 8:38-39
"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Tim Tebow is living out these two verses. There is no questioning that. I wish I could say the same about myself.


*Wikipedia