So there's been a myriad of discussion regarding Tim Tebow and his miraculous impact on the Denver Broncos and, essentially, sports in general. After conversing with some deep thinkers... its my belief that the emphasis on Tebow is misplaced. Misplaced you say? I do. I say this because in 10 yrs, what effect will this 7-1 run have on our lives? Unless of course he somehow is able to lead Denver to a Superbowl. The real story is about a man whose devout faith in Jesus allows him to inspire others. The NFL, a conduit, because football unites so many of us in fellowship; one which transcends the confines of church walls.
I admit, after 18 years as a Catholic--first communion, confirmation (at least you get to pick a new name for that one), and all that goes with it--I broke away from the church, convinced that spirituality had little to do with repetitious ritual. In my attempts to find some system or institution which coincided with my inner beliefs, I veered towards the Tao. While the two, Taoism and Catholicism, seem as far apart as day and night, the basic concept of faith remains the universal tie that binds; not only between the aforementioned, but all religions at their core. The existence of faith is what drives our spirituality whether is be Hindu, Buddhist, Catholic, or Muslim. Through this faith we act and interact, making decisions which not only shape our lives but the lives of those around us.
So back to Tebow. What is it that he does that makes him such a polarizing figure? Its not throwing for touchdowns although, he does find a way to get the rock between the sticks. Its his faith. His faith wakes him up in the morning, propels him towards the stadium, and drives him into scoring position. And those of us who worship on Sundays at the chapel of Gillette Stadium, Lincoln Financial, Fed Ex Field, and Mile High Stadium, find some inspiration in a Brady 2-minute drill, a Jackson punt return, an Orakpo fumble recovery, and a Prater last second field goal. We relate to the effort put into these feats, and the faith which ultimately drives each individual accomplishment. Unfortunately however, we have somehow lost our ability to enjoy the moment and honed our skills to focus instead on the art of demolition. The systematic deconstruction of that which we cannot explain yet somehow still find fascinatingly flawed in some way. So flawed that we begin to see what really isn't there. Strange how quickly Tebow became a microscope of sorts for past running quarterbacks. Stranger still how that morphed into analyzation of black quarterbacks. How quickly flaw turns to dislike, dislike to hatred, hatred to racism. Disheartening that praise so easily turns to denigration, triumph to defeat, white to black; the process of destruction.
The beauty in deconstruction however, is that from the rubble, we can pull out remnants of what still remains in an attempt to rebuild anew. We can take our clouded perspective and shine light brightly through the cracks in our doubt....with faith. Take the jersey from Tebow's back. Strip him of his 4th quarter heroics. What is left? A child of Christ? Its an exercise in faith, one which allows us to see beyond the media hype directly to the core of the individual; the man.
So if you can somehow, for a few minutes, separate these images in your mind, perhaps you can get to the core of the real issue. That a man has somehow found a way to be an example of faith in a world in desperate need of some. And through him, through the NFL, we can all find some type of compass towards a place where we can all finally begin to rebuild our own faith.
