The Heisman Trophy awards were held this past Saturday evening in New York. This is the highly-sought-after award that goes to the best overall player in college football. It has been in existence since 1935, I think.
This year, Tim Tebow, the Florida Gators' sophomore quarterback, won the award, marking the first time in history that a sophomore has won the Heisman Trophy.
Well, I have to admit that I haven never been much of a Florida fan--there is too much Auburn in me to cheer for Florida! But I will say that I am now on the bandwagon (at least as much as my Auburn blood will allow me to be). And the main reason for that is Tim Tebow.
Now, let me explain. All the hype surrounding this young man for the last two or so years did nothing to win me over. I have to confess that it actually turned me off a bit. But what won me over to Tebow's side was his evident profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his desire to live a life that is pleasing to God.
During the Heisman award ceremony, I saw a side of Tim Tebow that I didn't know about before. Perhaps I wasn't listening. Perhaps the press wasn't talking about this aspect of Tebow's life. I suspect it was probably more the latter than the former, because the Sunday papers (the next day) mentioned nothing about Tebow's faith when the TV ceremony had been chock-full of it.
This is what I learned from the TV ceremony: Tim Tebow is a committed Christian, whose parents were (from what I could tell) missionaries in the Philippines. Tebow openly and repeatedly discussed his faith in Christ and the fact that his parents taught him the Bible and had him memorizing it from his earliest days.
Tebow's comments painted the entire Gator football program in a positive light, from the athletic director to the head coach, Urban Meyer, to the assistant coaches, down to the players and fans themselves. It was a day that every Gator fan and many non-Gator fans should be proud of, day when a super athlete who is ALSO a man of character and deep faith was honored in our society.
So, as much as it may pain me, I must admit that I am now a fan and will be praying for Mr. Tebow in the future!
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