Tim Tebow

All you Tim Tebow "lovers", critics or "haters" please read this entire blog.

Tim Tebow is my favorite player in the NFL. I didn't just recently jump on his bandwagon either. We are so proud of him for standing for Christ, for living out his faith in the midst of a media fire storm and everyone waiting for him to fall. Do I think he's perfect, no, because none of us are. It's not easy to be under the microscope all the time. And if most of us were honest, we would not stand up to the test like Tim has time and again.

My husband and I started watching Tebow play football when he was at Florida. We love his passion, his work ethic, but most of all what he stands for--Christ.

For Wade and I, Tim Tebow is what we hoped we were when we played sports--a light using the talents God gave us to bring Him glory.

There are a few Bible verses that Wade and I live our lives by and that really impacted us when we played sports.

"Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."Colossians 3:17

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward." Colossians 3:23-24

I don't think that most people know how hard it is to play sports after the high school level and how much harder it is to live out your faith and take a stand. It's so very easy to get side tracked, to think only of yourself and what you want. I know I battled that as an athlete. All the fans see is the person playing on game day. What they don't see is all the work that went in to getting to that point nor do they see all the things that are happening within the team and maybe your own life and family. My experience only went as far as the collegiate level, so I can only imagine how much this is intensified at the professional level.

I remember one game in particular when I was at Bucknell. We were set to play Holy Cross on ESPNU. We only got one TV game a year so it was a big deal for us. The Lord gave me the strength a pretty good game that night and I was so thankful. We came away with a win, but it meant so much to me because of the struggle it was to get there.

Trying to balance college sports and the classroom is challenging to say the least, especially at a school like Bucknell. I had 2 major papers due the day of the game. The night before I was not anywhere close to finishing them...not because I had procrastinated, I just literally did not have enough time in my day to do it all. So...I stayed up ALL night working on those papers. In a fog, I walked to class and turned in my papers...then I did something I had never done before...I didn't go to the rest of the class.

I knew I had to play a game later that afternoon and was in no condition to do so. I went home and slept. I woke up thinking, how am I going to do this? I took a shower and put on my makeup, lol, hoping not everyone would be able to see how tired I truly was...I prayed for strength and set out to give it my all.

What a praise to the Lord still comes from my heart for this time. I am thankful for the win but more so that He gave me the strength and courage to keep going, to fight and to honor Him.

This is just one instance in my life where no one new what was going on in my life. They only saw the game I played. How much more so then for pro athletes?

There are many out there that openly "hate" Tim Tebow. I really can't believe this is even possible, but then again I can. It's crazy to me that our society seems more at ease with the athlete that is in the club, getting caught doing illegal things, or immoral things than a man doing his best to please Lord. There's a song lyric that I think fits here..."People throw rocks at things that shine." (Taylor Swift and no I am not a huge fan of hers...) It's easy, too easy, for people to bash athletes at any level but especially at the collegiate and pro level.

I don't know the ins and outs of the mechanics of a "great" quarterback and maybe Tim doesn't exactly fit their "ideal" but he gives it his all every snap and lives in a manner worthy of the calling of Christ.

Wade and I pray that he will continue to remember that bringing glory to Christ is most important, that giving others the opportunity to know the Good News is what his life and ours is for. We pray God would continue to give him the strength to stand and we know that no matter what, God loves him and us and you.

Tim, if you read this, keep going friend!! God has given you an amazing platform that you are using well.

And as Pilgrim says in Pilgrim's Progress, "but I put my fingers in my ears and so came on my way."