I have never been much of a football fan, I just don't have the time to follow my favorite teams, but lately I have been following the Tim Tebow stories, and I find them fascinating. My dad read me a humorous article about Tebow a few days ago, and keeps bringing up Tebow facts and statistics. But the article he read today moved me in a way I have not been moved in a long time.
Rick Reilly, a notoriously critical sportswriter, said, "There's not an ounce of artifice or phoniness or Hollywood in this kid Tebow and I've looked everywhere for it." I say that Tebow reminds me of a modern-day Daniel - a man who lives in the public eye, like Daniel did, and who makes decisions (like spending the last few minutes before kick-off and the hour after the game with his honored guests - people he sponsors because of injuries or diseases) that few people understand. He stands up, or rather, takes a knee for what truly matters, and his life is a testimony for people in general, but especially for Christians.
I have sung Tim's praises, but the fact that he is praised and counted genuine by staunchly anti-faith journalists is what really speaks for the validity of his accreditation. I'm not going to preach a sermon here, but I want to tell you the thoughts I had after reading the aforementioned article (which can be found here: http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7455943/believing-tim-tebow). My first reaction was that we need more Christians who are "in the public eye" - celebrities who are willing to live their lives for the approval of God. As you can see in Tim's case, God blesses obedience and non-conformity to the world - yet another connection between Tebow and Daniel (Daniel refused to eat the contaminated food, and against all odds, was better fitted for the palace than those who went the normal route). Think of the influence actors, singers, artists, athletes, politicians, etc. could have if they would be willing to take a stand for what is right and leave the results up to God.
But, while the reform of popular culture by Christian celebrities is an inspiring topic to contemplate, I realize that not many of us are aspiring to, or will ever be, famous. So, how can Tim Tebow's example effect our lives? Well, think of it this way: Tebow is an athlete who takes every opportunity to bring glory to God through his life and draws others to saving knowledge of the Lord. The athlete "thing" is his calling in life, and while yours is almost certainly different (I doubt any professional athletes will read this article), you do share a calling with him if you are a Christian. You are called to take every opportunity to give a reason for the hope that you have, bringing glory to the Father through proclaiming the name of the Son, and living, as Tebow consistently does, in such a way as to baffle non-Christian onlookers. You may be called to be a teacher or car mechanic, mother or father, student, artist, musician, trash collector, or who knows what, but your primary calling is to use your life to bring glory to God. That is why you're here after all.
Think about that person who cut you off while driving. The one with whom you got mad and at which you made horrible faces. Oh, believe me, I've done my fair share of that. Think about the cashier at the grocery store with who you really connected - talking about the weather and such. That literally happened for me today. Or the little boy or girl at your church who thinks you are the most interesting person alive. Or your family members, who seem to spend as much time blessing you as they do getting on your nerves (of course this never happens at my house, you know). These people are part of your circle of influence. Sometimes you miss opportunities that you will never have again. Dear Lord, let me never miss another one, with your help. So often my head is completely filled with my own petty troubles that I forget that there are other people all around me. I have chances all day every day, to shine God's light to the world around me.
I have often complained that I just don't have enough opportunities to influence people for good. Well, I sure seem to have time to influence for evil. How many times have I woken up in a bad mood, just to see it "rub off" on someone else? I think you can probably relate. Well, all of this passionate rambling is to challenge you to put as much care into shining the light of God's glory into your own circle of influence as people like Tim Tebow have. Praise the Lord for examples of the Christian life in today's world. Why not be one of those examples yourself?
I highly recommend reading the article I mentioned (here's the link again: http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7455943/believing-tim-tebow) as an interesting view into the bemusement that living a real Christian life gives non-Christians.
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