Just as an aside, I know the site is entitled “Rediscovering Redemption.” So do all my posts need to include “redemption” in the title? No, not really. Just seems to work out that way.

I have been reading up on one Tim Tebow, the very up-front Christian athlete, who after a successful collegiate football career is trying to make the adjustment to the NFL. Tebow is not the model of the “west-coast,” pass-friendly NFL of today, and many so-called experts have not only predicted his failure; some are even rooting for it (see this great article – http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Tim-Tebow-why-the-heck-do-we-hate-him-110211).

In my younger days I used to be a big fan of wearing my faith on my sleeve. It made be feel like I was a part of winning people over to “our” way of thinking, and it made me feel more like I was pleasing God. Well, I cannot please God or get Him to love me any more that He already does. This behavior was annoying and offensive to those closest to me. I needed to live what I believed, not wear it like the Red Badge of Courage.

Now there are a lot of people who are incensed by the things for which Mr. Tebow stands, and that is part of this public mockery. he is not wearing his faith like a tight-fitting jersey, but it is an integral part of what makes him who he is, and a significant confidence-builder. I would not say that he has brought any of this public criticism on himself. No, I would say that his youthful exuberance and confidence in the Lord has exposed our own perceptions of what it means to represent Christ in the marketplace. And for this I am appreciative. Certainly, as Jen Floyd Engel points out in her piece (cited above), if Tebow were Muslim he would have our politically correct acknowledgement of his right to not only practice his beliefs but put them on display. But for some reason, Christians don’t get the same slack. No matter.

To me, the biggest issue is the lack of support Mr. Tebow is getting from his own coach and organization (please see the article noted here – http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Denver-Broncos-QB-Tim-Tebow-gets-backhanded-compliments-from-coach-John-Fox-111711). As a student of leadership, and as an insecure boy in a man’s body, all I ever craved or wanted was the support of my dad, or of a faithful leader, so that I would have the freedom to perform to my utmost knowing that someone “had my back” as we say today. Tim Tebow doesn’t have this from his coach, or from the Director of Football Operations (one John Elway), or from the media. Many people in public and even his peers disdain his efforts. But Tim Tebow seems to continue to perform to his utmost, using what the Lord has given to him, knowing that some One “had his back.”

I don’t know about you, and I don’t know about his future potential, and I don’t know whether he’ll ever really be able to achieve success in this line of work. But I know that I for one am pulling for him. He is “redeeming the time” (Ephesians 5:16), making the most of this opportunity, enjoying the ride and living what he believes, not just talking about it. That’s a good lesson for this old guy.