Tebow or not Tebow, that is the question

I have watched and listened the past few months as the media creation of "Tebow Mania" had played itself out on the airways.  It has been interesting to listen to the comments of those in the media who are paid to state their opinions about sports.  The media has been unable to stop itself from continuously commenting about this one man on a team sport that is dependent on each player doing his job.  They have singled him out and called the Denver Broncos his Denver Broncos.  They have spent countless hours dissecting one player on a team with a roster of fifty-three players.  I have been fascinated and enjoyed watching the media feeding frenzy and think there are two lessons we can take from their example:

Lesson #1 - Many people in America just don't know what to do with an authentic follower of Christ.  I have never met Tim Tebow and only know what the media reports, but it is obvious that most of these pundits are at a loss to explain why so many people like Tebow and are uncomfortable in understanding who he really is.  They are just unable to handle someone who is polite when he speaks, passionate on the field, a servant off the field and talks about Jesus as normally as they talk about...sports.  Most sports media have no problem with purported Christians like a Deon Sanders, a Dwyane Wade or a Michale Irvin - Men who in the past have claimed to follow Christ, but whose personal lives and attitudes look just like their peers.  They don't mind the jock who acts like a spoiled professional athlete and then wants to praise God every now and then.  Tim Tebow has not been cut from that mold.  He appears genuine in his faith in that he acknowledges his failures but also talks about his beliefs on a deep, dedicated level.  His faith affects how he handles all the media attention.  It has allowed him to work extremely hard to improve as a quarterback and learn from the criticism of his skill.  He doesn't do these things for show - He does them because that is who he is.  Most sports fans are tired of tatted up pros whose police blotter and arrogance are only exceeded by the undeserved millions of their contract.  Sports fans who are not even Christians have found Tim Tebow to be a refreshing change from the daily dose they have gotten from other athletes.  Sports writers and talk show hosts have been unable to categorize and marginalize Tebow, even though they have tried.  His humble faith which impacts every aspect of his life makes the media uncomfortable and unable to process what to do with him.  If you gave me a quantum physics math problem, I would never understand it because it is beyond my comprehension.  Genuine faith affects many in America on the same level.   They are fine with Christians who have the same divorce rate, live together rather than get married, are critical, have quick tempers, have few personal standards, cuss or appear as hypocrites or legalists.  They struggle to categorize a follower of Christ who simply lives out his faith in a humble manner.  One who speaks about the standards of Jesus and then lives then with a heart and attitude that reflects grace and compassion.  If you are a follower of Christ, how do you measure up to this standard?  Lets' follow the example of Tebow and humbly live out our faith in a radical way which honors God without compromising with the latest standard of the world.

Lesson #2 - Pride and ego will always be destructive forces.  When Tebow was available for the NFL draft, all of the "experts" predicted that he would be a bust as a quarterback, suggesting he should be an H back or tight end.  When Denver selected him in the first round, ever sports writer, TV analyst and radio personality lambasted that decision.  His game was picked apart and the Broncos were mocked over the airways for such a nitwit decision.  Two years later when Tebow was given the starting job in Denver, the pundits once again rallied around his flaws and failings.  When the Broncos began an unlikely winning streak, made it to the playoffs and won their first round game, many of these pundits were incredulous.  Their dire predictions of Denver's downfall had been wrong.  So now they went back to explaining how Tebow will never be a success as an NFL quarterback like Manning or Brady, which is true.  Tebow won't be a drop back passer with pin point accuracy.  He never claimed to be.  He is a big, athletic quarterback who puts defenses in tough positions because they have to guard against the run, leaving their defensive back in one-on-one coverage.  The media is the one who picked this fight, now Tebow.  He has always gone about his own business in preparation for the draft and playing in the NFL.  He has listened to the criticisms leveled against him and tried to better prepare himself with this information.  The media has a vested interest in Tebow not succeeding because their reputations are on the line.  A few have grudgingly acknowledged Tebow as a somewhat legitimate quarterback, but most continue to pile on him, looking for every failure to declare the Tim Tebow experiment as terminated, the proverbial nail in the coffin.  It is sad to see the media become so judgmental over something that is new, different and out-of-the box.  Of course, the Pharisees did the same thing with Jesus.  They couldn't pin Him down and were taken aback by how He lived the heart of the Law without abiding by their letter of the Law.  The bottom line lesson this season for me has been to remind myself to not let my ego or pride get in the way.  Rather than looking for a way to find flaws in something that is different and new, maybe I can listen, learn and appreciate something amazing.  How has your ego been lately?  Have you celebrated the downfall of someone rather than offering comfort and support?  Have you struggled to control something or someone rather than giving that person or situation over to the Lord?

Please know that I don't think Tim Tebow is all that and a bag of chips.  He is nothing more than a follower of Christ who has been thrust into the national spotlight because he is a professional athlete.  I hope and pray he will stay true to the course he has started, but I won't be shocked if he falls.  And if he does, I won't throw him under the bus but will pray for him.  The pressures put on professional athletes to live a hedonistic, pleasure-filled existence are great, greater than you or I could probably handle.  Very few professional athletes are able to last faithfully like David Robinson, AC Green or Kurt Warner.  So I pray for Tim Tebow and ask God to strengthen him to follow Christ with all his heart.  But at the end of the day, I am responsible for my life and my testimony.  How will I be remembered when my life is over?  Will I run the race in such a way that others will know Jesus is real because He was real to me?  Is my faith so authentic that others would want to check out Jesus because they see something unmistakably different in me?  So the question really isn't about Tebow, it's about me and about you.  Be refreshed and live an authentic life of following Christ that is radically different from the world in which you live!