Tim Tebow is not Jesus…and That’s Good

The book club I mentioned previously recently just finished the book Through My Eyes, by Tim Tebow.  Being as this was included in the Christian bookstore and that it was seemingly marketed as though it was of significant relevance to his faith, we were excited to dive into a book that combined both Jesus and football, two things our little group quickly agreed upon being in the south. As we have gone though the pages, I’ve jotted down several points which I wanted to share to anyone interested in diving into this book.

 

Let me preface this first by saying that I truly believe that Tim Tebow is a God-fearing man who has a compassionate heart and earnestly seeks to do good and encourage others along the way. The biggest take away from this, however is that he is indeed human, full of imperfections, failures, and even misguided words and actions, and that is ok. He is young, quite sheltered, and naïve in some ways, but more importantly, his heart is for Jesus and spreading the gospel in the best way he knows how.

 

If you are looking for a completion of truths that have guided him in his journey of football and his personal life, I would not recommend this unless you are quite great at picking through the fluff…However, if you are a football fanatic who wants to recap Tebow’s collegiate career on the field and learn about a dozen new drills and workouts, this is indeed the book for you. Don’t get me wrong, there are a few gems hidden between the weight lifting and touchdowns, but sadly those notes are few and far between. I am curious as to the target audience that was intended when this was penned. It is a seemingly easy read, but not a fast read. I feel like I may have benefited more form watching every game rather than a page-by-page, and unfortunately play-by-play, description of each game he ever played. Even as someone who rather enjoys the game, and for a girl knows a great deal of football and the names he threw out, I became bored rather quickly with who caught what pass or how many times he ran for a touchdown despite the odds. His stats did not, and will never, compel me to love Jesus more. The best part of the book was the inclusion of the verses at the beginning of each chapter, however, I really wish he had fleshed out the meaning behind each of those and the impact they had on his spiritual life. That I would have found interesting.

The following is a review of the contents of his book through my eyes (see what I did there?) as someone who is seeking to follow after Christ and was reading this in a small group discussion setting. I’ve broken it up into several categories for ease, and certainly haven’t delved into every point in the book, however highlighted a few important ones in my mind.

 

Several of the most impactful statements in this book are lessons that Tebow learned from his parents. One of which was in regards to humility. 

Such a wonderful concept, yet he continually talks about how good he was at something. How strong he is. How he won this or started that or beat a sibling or teammate at some competition. The book contains several bouts of bragging on personal accomplishments, even those outside the realm of football.  As readers, we don’t want to hear how good you are at baseball. Or Latin. Or golf. Or anything else for that matter. We get that you are quite talented. What we really want to know is what you learned through your experiences. What the Lord was teaching you and how you were changed by it. Not how amazing you are… at everything.

 

He mentions that “as I got older and heard kids talked about wanting to “fit in”, or wanting to be “normal”, I never quite understood why they felt that way. What’s the point of being “normal”? That sounds average to me, and I never felt like I was created to be average.” And that is a lesson I wish every child could learn.  That it is ok to be different and that’s what makes you unique. But does that mean you have to win everything & outdo and outshine everyone? Does that mean that you always have to get your way? When he was choosing schools – it had nothing to do with the education. It had everything to do with winning championships and him being a star from the way he talks about it. Not about being a team player.  He was so naïve in his views of the recruiting experience, and I can’t help but question if this view was from being sheltered because of home schooling. Or was it simply his personality to fully trust and never be skeptical? Yet how could he not see that regardless of the coach’s personalities or personal beliefs, they were recruiting him? They were providing him with exactly what he desired so he would come to their school. Not because it necessarily was the best thing for him – but because it was the best thing for them, the program. And that’s how the process works.  It’s about their program looking the best out of all the others.

 

While I understand writing a biography can prove difficult in the whole “not boasting” thing, but some things in the book are just a bit unnecessary. Talk about your feelings. What you’ve learned. Your growth, etc. But is it really important to relay every move from every game you ever played and how awesome you did at it? And especially in things that provide no insight into your faith whatsoever? And quite honestly at times, paints a picture of someone less than admirable.

 

At times his writing is full of contradictions. He mentions always wanting to be the best at everything for the glory of the Lord, yet also states that he wanted to finish first, but to “make it more meaningful, I wanted to start in the back.” He then talks about how brining up constantly the trainer’s poor decision, which left him with a burn, at every opportunity he had, despite the continuous heartfelt apologies he received. Are we really to boast of others’ shortcomings? And how they made the person most uncomfortable with public prayer speak to catch them off guard and then pester him with jokes of the words he spoke to the Lord and claim it as “brother-in law duty” to jest with him. Obnoxious. We are to lift up those around us and while of course there is always room for silly jokes in close relationships, to poke fun at someone’s conversation to God and relive other’s failures for your own laughter in not how we are to show love for our neighbors.

 

All of this especially after he makes such a point of one pre game situation involving some rather obnoxious characters itself. After LSU girls were cursing his parents before a game, he states “There were girls who’d come up to my dad and mom and direct vulgarities at them, followed by, ‘What are you going to do about it?’ For anyone wondering, that is not what I am looking for in a spouse.” Really? Are you that arrogant that you think everyone reading this book is contemplating the characteristics you are looking for in a wife? Or that perhaps even they are themselves wondering if they could possibly fit your views as the perfect wife? Please. His naivety of women was first shown during recruiting when he went on about how the girls at Alabama were so wonderful and all God-fearing while other schools seemed to surround him with those ladies that boasted much less in the way of moral goodness shall we say. And that all women at Florida were every bit as beautiful as the ones his sister had surrounded herself with on her wedding day. Thankfully, however, he does make mention much later in the book that he “realized that girls would often tell me whatever it was they thought I wanted to hear”.

All in all, humility is something we all need to work on. Even if we are seeking to be humble in our hearts, our words and actions can do much to show the contrary. If anything Tebow shows that especially if others recognize your talents on a large scale it is that much more difficult to fully embody what it means to be humble and that everyone is a work in progress.

 

“For as long as I can remember, this was instilled in me: to have fun, love Jesus and others, and tell them about Him.” Tebow’s life has been one surrounded by Christians in his personal life. He mentions such excitement when he was finally able to join a mission trip to the Philippines where his parents had been missionaries. The main portion of the trip was spent speaking to classrooms and school assemblies about Salvation that had long allowed missionaries to come and profess their faith in these public spaces. He mentions a point in his trip where a group of them went into an arcade and shouted at the kids to come listen and that 7 or 8 accepted Christ right then and there.  I’m not saying this doesn’t happen, the Lord is capable of using any means we try to bring someone to Him, but it is not the norm by any means. Evangelism at its core is about relationships, not all about public speaking– it’s a lifestyle. It’s about being a witness in every situation of God’s grace and mercy. It’s not so simple as walking into an arcade and shouting the gospel and then everyone receives Christ.  I have been on several mission trips and that’s just not reality everywhere. In some places they would simply ignore you. In some places, they would try to kill you. You can’t just say a prayer and walk away – must cultivate the seed you plant – or ensure that someone else will after you are gone. There needs to be “a lifetime of caring and commitment” that he finally mentions in the care of orphans much later in the book. Speaking and sharing is hugely important in spreading the Gospel, however meeting the needs of those individuals is also imperative. Sharing of our time, our knowledge, and our resources is hugely instrumental in furthering the Kingdom and I think that portion of the message was somewhat lost in his recap of that trip.

 

We are called to pray without ceasing. To pray in every situation. To give both our disappointments and our victories to the Lord. But to pray in a game to win or not, is that what we are called to do? Well, in a way, yes. We are called to lift up whateveris in our hearts, however petty or stupid it may in fact be. Now that doesn’t mean of course that every prayer we say will be granted in the manner in which we desire. And that just because an outcome does go in the way we wished, does not mean that our intentions were the best they could be either. For example, Tebow prays for healing for his arm, but for what reason? For his heath? To play? For stardom to continue? We can’t assume what is in his heart, but we know that the Lord will move in the outcome, regardless of what that is.  Tebow goes on to speak of waiting, quoting the well-known verse in Isaiah.  It is here where his heart is quite evident and that any moments of the “egotistic star” that has often shown through in his words is quieted and the honesty of the imperfect man of God speaks. 

 

Nearly at the end of the book, Tebow speaks to maximizing the talents, or abilities, that the Lord has provided us with.  That we are to work as hard as we can to improve in those areas and that we are to give Him all the glory and honor for those talents. In a sense, that we are called to be the very best “_______” (fill in the blank) that we can be in order to bring Him praise. And I couldn’t agree more. Some of us are athletes. Some of us are academics. I could go on and on, but the point is that each of us posses certain skills and abilities that He has blessed us with and we are to not only use them, but cultivate them and give Him every once of the praise as it is by His power that we have been blessed. 

 

On the flip side to learning of our talents, we are also in need of understanding our limitations. Knowing when to say no is an important skill that few people seem to truly have mastered. Having a tight grasp on your timing and, especially, your physical limitations is key for so many reasons. Being able to politely decline takes practice. And contrary to popular belief, it is in fact ok to say no when the time calls for it. Tebow mentions a brief story where he was asked to ride a ride at an amusement park while his team was there for a bowl game and said yes despite his overwhelming motion sickness and the possibility of violently throwing up (which he did) after riding it. All so as to appease the owner. Again, a moment in which his heart was in the right place, but the execution lacked. He speaks several times of being injured, only to continue playing the game so that his team would not loose, then in turn blaming himself if they did not come out on top. All loses, or wins for that matter, do not solely hinge on one player’s ability.  And never knowing when to stop can only further injury or sickness, or even provide the example to another that it is never ok to seek assistance.

 

In light of everything above, the shortcomings and the victories, the message of this book is firmly rooted in his final statement. Tim Tebow is a stand up guy who really is a great role model both on and off the field who should indeed be admired for both his talent and his desire to share Christ’s love with everyone he comes into contact with.