I was at the gym early one Sunday morning, there was a man walking on the treadmill. He was wearing a MP3 player, and although I don’t know what he was listening to, whatever it was he was seriously into it.
Occasionally, he would raise his arms above his head in victory and clapping. His behavior was attracting the attention and strange looks of the other patrons.
Tim Tebow is the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the NFL, Tim played college football at the University of Florida. Tim was born in the Philippines to Christian missionaries. He picked up the alias God’s Quarterback for his outspokenness about his faith.
Tim’s been the center of controversy not for any wrongdoing on his part unless you think his openness and demonstrativeness about his faith criminal. Tim’s habit to go down on a knee and start praying during the game has created a new phenomenon called Tebowing.
To Tebow you get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something entirely different. There’s even a website where people submit pictures Tebowing at places around the world.
Here are some of his accomplishments:
- First round NFL draft pick in 2010,
- Winner of two NCAA National Football Championships,
- First-ever Sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy,
- Winner of the Davey O’Brien Award,
- Two-time winner of the Maxwell Award as the nation’s top college football player, and
- Winner of the James E. Sullivan Award as the nation’s most outstanding amateur athlete in any support.
His most recent accomplishment is orchestrating four fourth-quarter comebacks in a row. The Broncos finally lost to the New England Patriots. Unfortunately, Tebowmania is beginning to wear thin with other league players.
Teams, like the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens, and players, like Aaron Rodgers who are having outstanding years are not receiving the same level of media coverage as Tim Tebow. While Tim has a relationship with God, I’m fairly sure there are players on Denver’s opponents whose faith and relationship with God is no different from Tim’s.
The opposing player is probably not just as vocal or open about their faith at least on the football field. God is not a respecter of football teams or Tim Tebow, and to Tim’s credit he hasn’t attributed the winning streak to divine intervention.
Back to the man on the treadmill. Why was this guy attracting the odd looks from other gym patrons? Are there unwritten social rules we are expected to follow and when these rules aren’t followed, are you then subjected to the negative reaction of others?
Is Tim Tebow being subjected to similar unwritten rules? Thanking God too much during an interview, and praying one time too many during a football game.
If his failure to observe these unwritten rules isn’t your answer, maybe it’s because deep down we’re envious we don’t live as boldly as they do or even worse we don’t have anything we enthusiastically take a stand for. What do you think? Please leave your thoughts in the Comments. Thank you.
