Of character, leadership and hatred

The Daily Jot


Daily reporting and analysis of current events from a biblical and prophetic perspective.


Monday, August 15, 2011



Of character, leadership and hatred



This will not be your typical Daily Jot, but there is a message in it. I am so glad football season is begun. I believe football has all the elements of life. I have used the sport of football to teach Christian character and leadership among men. I believe that football builds character, hones leadership and foments the right kind of bonds between men. I have witnessed over my years of coaching football young men turn around their entire lives because of all the elements of the game--the struggles, the highs, the lows, the unyielding physics of spiritual, mental and physical mixing in the crucible of controlled violence to form a more perfect man. Nowadays faith in God, however, may be a liability to a player's career.



I have been following the career of Tim Tebow for several years. Tim was home schooled, is the son of Christian missionaries, he is a faith-filled man who gives glory to Jesus Christ at every opportunity. Tim won college football's most prestigious award--the Heisman Trophy--and two national college championships before he was drafted by the Denver Broncos. He is highly regarded for his character and his leadership. He is noted for putting a Bible verse in his eye-black for each game. He is also noted for his amazing on-field leadership, winning games, and toughness. Yet, every week the haters are out. They tweet, they blog, they comment on television and radio--he can't play, they say.



But there is something deeper than an opinion on Tim's playing ability. It shows that no matter how much good there is in a person, there are those who hate. Before his first pre-season game with the Broncos last week, the announcers were criticizing Tim's warm ups. The tweets started coming in. FOX Sports monitored them. They said, "Tebow in game. Let's see if he can cure leprosy," "God has decided to wait until regular season to start assisting Tebow," "God flipping over from GOP debate to watch Tebow"--just to document a few. And these are typical of not only the comments from fans, but also of the snide remarks from professional journalists and commentators, things like "Maybe God wants him to be a back up."



Tebow responds like a pro, never showing hurt or anger. He told FOX Sports, "My faith has been a big part of my life and it's something that I feel like I show, but I don't feel like I am ever too outward about it as far as putting other people down or preaching." Tim's career could be shortened because of public opinion on his faith. And here again, football is a microcosm of life. In many cases, we as a people have lost the natural affection we should have for one another. Where men of character were once revered, they are now ridiculed. Yet these detractors would be the first to preach tolerance for what the Bible calls evil. Jesus said in John 13:34, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." I'm just saying...




Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!

Bill Wilson