The opening of the NFL football season this coming Sunday brings to mind the true story about football player Tim Tebow.
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Almost aborted, and after an astonishing college career as the star quarterback for the University of Florida, Tim Tebow was a first-round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2010. He earned many unparalleled honors and awards, among them two national championships. He was the first sophomore in NCAA history to win the Heisman Trophy as the outstanding all-around player. He also won the Davey O'Brien Award for outstanding quarterback.
In his book, Through My Eyes, Tebow tells the story of his strong Christian faith, his life and his career.
Tim was born in 1987 in the Philippines to Christian missionaries Bob and Pam Tebow. During the pregnancy, his mother suffered a life-threatening infection that required strong drugs to wake her from a coma and to treat severe dysentery. Doctors predicted that the baby (Tim) would be stillborn and advised that an abortion would be the only answer to save the mother’s life. However, Pam Tebow discarded any thought of abortion. She carried the baby to full term and delivered a healthy child.
After returning to the United States, the Tebow family lived in Jacksonville, Florida, where Tim and his siblings were home-schooled. This educational training instilled in Tim a strong Christian belief, which he still professes today. He continues to excel as an outstanding athlete and has never lost his devotion to his beliefs.
There are times Tim’s strong position as a devout Christian has made him a provocative figure. As a Florida Gator quarterback he printed the Bible reference Philippians 4:13 on his eye black (adhesive sticker that provides anti-glare protection): “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me”. He used this verse every game throughout his collegiate career. It is impossible to know how many people saw this verse and were made aware of it.
Tim continued using this verse until one very crucial game, when he felt the need to change the eye-black reference to John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
Ninety-four million people accessed John 3:16 on Google during that game. Tim was overwhelmed by that and said, “Wow, how are 94 million people not knowing John 3:16? It’s really awesome to see how God works in a very unique way when you just trust Him and put a little Bible verse under your eyes.”
One of the thirty-second commercials aired during Super Bowl XLIV (2010) supported the pro-life view he shares with Focus on the Family. Though the word abortion was never mentioned, both Tim and his mother appeared in the ad and depicted the strong pro-life position that they have taken and the strong Christian belief they share.
Tim Tebow became the #1 quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Since both the NCAA and the NFL banned in 2010 any writing on a player’s eye black, Tim was no longer able to display a Scripture message. Yet, Tim found another way to honor the Lord. After something good happened during a game, he bent down on one knee to pray and thank the Lord. Many now call it “Tebowing”. With this action Tim showed his humility before the Lord as he gave thanks.
His strong religious views have not always made it easy for him to be accepted and appreciated by teams and the public. Yet, he remains strong in his faith and does not waver in the expression of his feelings about the only thing that matters to him more than football!
In what came to be called the “316 game”, a playoff game in 2012 between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Denver Broncos, Tim Tebow passed for 316 yards and averaged an incredible 31.6 yards per pass and 3.16 yards per rush. The highest TV rating for that game was 31.6! Ben Roethlisberger, quarterback for the Steelers, threw a pass on 3rd and 16 that was intercepted and the time of possession for the Steelers was 31 minutes and 6 seconds. Was this one of God’s OTHER WAYS to remind us of John 3:16?
Even though he led the Broncos to the playoffs in 2011, he was traded to the New York Jets at the end of the season, when Peyton Manning joined with the Broncos. Since then, Tim has been with several other NFL teams and worked as a TV analyst for college football. Tim has even tried his hand at professional baseball.
He has been quoted as saying, "I'm blessed, because of my faith, that I don't have to worry about the future, because I know who holds my future.”
Just think, if Tim’s mother had taken the doctor’s advice and aborted her baby, we wouldn’t be reading about Tim Tebow today.
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For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16 NASB
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If you have a story that you think might bless others, I invite you to send it by email to me (Kenneth Kersey) at godsotherways@me.com.
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