Tebowing for Dummies

This weekend, for the first time n DECADES, I watched a regular season NFL game. Why? Because of Tim Tebow. This is a first. No great athlete, Christian or otherwise, has been able to get me to watch NFL games. And I am one of those people who finds it a bit irksome that people will pray for a field goal with more earnestness than any other prayers. It's just football.

But this phenomenon is too big to ignore. Tim Tebow is all the rage, not for being the greatest quarterback ever, but by being sub par. But, he wins games, all the while he is glorifying God for wins that nobody else would use to make a highlight reel. Some people hate him. Some people love him. He is the spotless lamb that his detractors are sure is infested with ticks. He also inspires hope as he wins games while posting really unimpressive numbers (except for maybe this week).

I was reading the Twitter feed a couple of weeks ago, and saw one that said, "I am an atheist, but even I think God is helping Tim Tebow." It appears that it is Tim's faith, humility, and below averageness that has even the ungodly pulling for him.

I believe the lesson we should be learning here is that most of us are too proud to risk looking bad by taking big risks. Most Christians play it safe, lay low, and expect little from their prayer life. Tim Tebow has been the subject of endless criticism and disparaging comments in public, and then walks out before national television audiences to be judged. Was he afraid of making God "look bad" by failing? Was he afraid of being mocked for is signature prayer stance? He was mocked, but he kept on bowing his knee to God.

Until now, I have never though the football field was an authentic proving ground for anyone's faith. But it's hard to argue with results. It's not even the winning. It's the conversation he has inspired. God is glorified in him more than if he threw for 300 yards per game. It is the adversity that makes his example matter.

I want to thank Compassionate Outreach for covering this day with 24 hour prayer!