"Tebowing"
by Tim West | January 10, 2012
A new word has entered the American vocabulary this year. It’s called “tebowing.” So, what is tebowing? It’s a verb meaning to get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different. This act was started by an outstanding college football quarterback player turned unlikely pro starter named—you got it—Tim Tebow. He also just also happens to be a solid evangelical Christian with missionary parents.
Context: Tebowing, however, has become both popular and mocked. Tim Tebow (a.k.a Rocky) plays for the Denver Broncos and has become their unusual and exciting new quarterback. He was a Heisman winning player in college, but many pundits had essentially written him off as a pro player. When given a chance to start this year, he turned around a dismal Broncos team to bring them now to playoff glory. Last night in overtime—as usual—he threw an 80-yard TD pass to upset the Pittsburgh Steelers. I’ve never been much of a Denver Broncos fan, but now I’m watching.
Conflict: But back to tebowing (you can google the official website)… Tebowing is Tim Tebow’s way of sharing a witness for Christ, since to him, believers do all things to the glory of God. So, when something good happens on the field he takes a knee to honor God. This has led some in to mock him. It has led others to copy him. I read where some kids in New York did a tebow in the school hallway and were suspended (just like New York). Even the liberal Huffington Post is reporting on it: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/08/tim-tebow-cbs-crew-tebowing-broncos-steelers_n_1192995.html.
Courage: Tim Tebow’s story (and there’s so much more to it) is inspiring courage in people to take a stand for their conviction. Despite the heat and persecution he takes for this one simple act in giving glory to God, he continues. The irony is that NFL players (and now college and even high school players) perform routine antics to the most basic of plays they perform well. All of these antics say “look at me, look at me!” It’s a shame that when one person performs something outstanding they get ridiculed for quietly taking a knee to honor God. Something REALLY IS wrong with our culture! What will you tebow over today? Anyway, it’s just a thought.