The Tebow Effect

Tim Tebow has become somewhat of an anomaly. He has been much maligned. He's taken over a team that was hemorrhaging and turned them into contenders all the while  creating "Tebow Mania".  This is what sports junkies live for but wait, why are we hating and so critical of Tebow? He was a winner in high school, he was a winner in college( two Bowl Championship Series Championships and a Heisman to be exact). His "promise speech" has been immortalized and oh by the way, he has a statue on Florida's campus. Again, he's a winner! He's created excitement within the sport that could only be rivaled by Fernando or Tiger mania. The question remains; why all the vitriol surrounding this young man?  Everyone seems to want a piece of Tebow, even presidential candidates want his shining endorsement. He's even made people question their religion. Ah! We've hit the proverbial nail on the head; religion.

I recently read a long essay by a theologian(yawn). Look we are dealing with sports, not religion. In all the arguments railed for or against the young man the one issue that's  been overlooked; he's immature (1Cor 13:11-12).  When I first gave my life to Christ I was full-speed ahead obnoxious. I had that fire without knowledge or wisdom. I remember back in the early 90s when Evander Holyfield regained his title, during an interview he must have mentioned God at least 30 times in three minutes. The interviewer looked at Holyfield and said, "But that was you in the ring." Maybe Evander isn't the best example of spirituality( a man who stays in shape by beating his wife in front the kids).  But depending on the setting, such as a Christian broadcast, to mention God that many times would be acceptable.

Once again Tebow is immature, this may be his demeanor, or is it?  He wasn't completely this way when he played in the swamp. When Bob Dylan became a Christian, the Ekklessia he was a part of tried to tell him how he should act and respond to people. In other words they wanted to control him to use his star to brighten their efforts. I believe in a sincere way Tebow is being told to do this. His actions show his sheltered home-schooled upbringing and it makes him come off as aloof ,weird and peculiar. He already had an incident in his college locker room,  he wanted to pray before an exam, and someone yelled "shut the f@$%-up. Nothing wrong with praying before an exam, except you have to warm people to you. I didn't immediately see this until my wife pointed it out to me, once she did the wheels started spinning even more.

The life of a believer is somewhat tricky, even mysterious to a point. We are taught our steps are ordered by the Lord (Ps 37:23). Everything we do has a purpose, we are taught not to be ashamed of the Gospel (Rom 1:16). We are taught we will be prosecuted for his name's sake John (15:18-21). All these virtues are true but we have to balance that with how we should deal with issues in this world; be as cunning as a serpent but as gentle as a dove (Math 10:16). Faith is unique and often times a private affair but it doesn't mean one has more or less faith if they are vocal or silent. We should never be ashamed of serving him but there is a time and  place for everything. Let's take the work place for instance, they're certain guidelines we must follow. In Tebow's instance he's wearing his faith on his sleeve. It's not about being ashamed, it's about proper perspective. If you're at work and person is reading and they yell "Praise God" every five minutes, is that going to draw you closer or further away. In a greater sense Tebow is an ambassador or representative. He at the same time has youthful jubilance, which is fine. Someone such as a mentor should teach him better.

Remember back when Reggie White (Minister of Defense) started this. He said sometimes he prays for victories. When I first heard him say that, I thought he didn't pray hard enough. I'm joking as I say that, he did win and lose a Super Bowl. Reggie got himself in hot water when he made some disparaging remarks about Mexicans which costs him a cushy sports gig. Tebow's actions can be misconstrued as not being genuine or authentic and a distraction. God doesn't care about football, but people will weave in that he cares when a sparrow has fallen (Math 10:29). Teams opposing each other on the gridiron realize simple truths, the team that is the most prepared and executes the best wins. Tebow in one player, an integral part of the team; his job is to call the game, get the ball to the right personnel and allow them to do their part. When watching a game I don't care about people's faiths, especially when it comes to athletes, I'm usually disappointed. Too many times God becomes the scapegoat. What happens when the overly religious person doesn't win? I can answer that! The answer is spiritualized away.

What about Lew Alcindor who famously changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, he didn't proselytize his faith, he went about his business on the court and when it was over and done with, he still remained a devout Muslim winning five rings, and is the all time scoring leader. He lived his life in complete scrutiny, but he looked professional in doing so. Tebow will learn all the theatrics aren't necessary, especially if you don't win the big one. Let other people prop you up, don't allow yourself to manipulated.

Lastly when everything is done and said; God gets the glory and you receive the victory.