In the past there have been famous athletes who have given thanks to God for their athletic achievements. A couple of these top athletes who claim to be Christians include Paul Wylie, 1992 Olympic figure skating Silver medalist, as well as Dan Reeves, former NFL player and coach. The latest pro-athlete to profess a faith in God is Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos. He currently has over 226,000 likes on his recently created facebook account, and over 35,000 followers of his twitter account. He was featured in a famously controversial Super Bowl ad sponsored by Focus on the Family, and he has a foundation whose motto is to "Bring Faith, Hope and Love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need." (TimTebow.com) He already has the sponsorship of major clothing brands including Nike and Jockey and he is only three games into his rookie season as a backup quarterback in the NFL.
What is it about this 23 year old jock that America is going crazy for?
He has a faith that he is not ashamed to share, and share boldly to the world. While his hard work ethic and God given talent has made him the role model and hero of thousands of aspiring athletes, his boldly stated conservative beliefs have made him the butt of many vulgar jokes, and the hero of many more evangelical Christians. His miraculous life story begins before his birth with his mom's refusal to abort him. His missionary parents, who grounded him and his siblings in their faith by homeschooling, are now seeing the enormous impact their Godly son is making in our hurting world.
Tebow will continue to be popular for three reasons, he is good looking, he is a very good football player, and he is a genuine Christian. Granted, his looks will wear after a few years, and he won't be able to play football forever (unless he gets some tips from Brett Farve), but he will continue to be a shining light for his Savior, Jesus Christ as long as the Lord blesses him with the gift of life. In the end, that life will end up being a dash between the dates of his birth and death. It is then that all of his trophies, awards, endorsements and NFL accomplishments will stay behind here on earth to be revered by posterity. Then, all that will matter are the countless souls he directed towards a saving knowledge of Christ. His passion for God is what makes Tebow the media sensation he is today, and what will make him one of the greatest soldiers of the Christian faith.
God bless, and go Broncos. GB2
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