Recently I attended a Cowboys game and was given the opportunity to walk the sidelines before the game. As you can imagine, there were many sights and sounds to take in as the players warmed up, threw the football around and went through their normal rituals of getting ready to play a game they have loved most of their lives.
But there was one particular sight that grabbed my attention. One of the Cowboy’s coaches had gathered three of his players into a circle and they prayed together before heading into the locker room one last time before the game started.
Through the many years of professional sports, players and coaches have publicly shared their faith in ways that feel comfortable to them so this was not a new sight to behold. Many players kneel in a short prayer before a game while others point the index finger to the sky and look upwards after making a great play.
Since high school, through college and now in the professional ranks, Tim Tebow has gotten on one knee and said a quiet prayer before playing. Now what he does is described as “Tebowing”. Some say it with respect to him and his faith while others seem to make it a mockery. Why is this?
It seems to me that if Tim Tebow had not been so bold in his Christian faith, not as vocal about his missions trips to serve others, and if he hadn’t been as much of a strong leader, this all would not be the talk of sports radio or headlines in national sports newspapers.
You and I can debate all day on whether Tebow should be a starting quarterback in the NFL, but I would hope that whether you agree or not with his Christian faith you will acknowledge it is nice to hear about a young professional athlete who lets their character, leadership and integrity “ooze” out of them. As a friend of mine once said, character is what “oozes” out of you. Or, in other words, what you “do” is better than what you “say.”
Every day we see young men and women student-athletes do some amazing athletic feats. We also see these same teens and young adults walk the walk of faith. If anything is learned from “Tebowing” it should be that it’s ok to be bold for what you believe in. Bowing to God is better than bowing to peer pressure.