Is Tim Tebow simply raising the bar?

If you haven’t heard of Tim Tebow, I hate to break it to you, but you’ve been living in a cave.

Now, I have no intentions of going on and on about him or his football abilities or even his faith, but I must admit, I am fascinated with the media tornado around him that seems to be picking up speed instead of slowing down. I watched a few interviews on YouTube last night and he really just seems like a great guy. A true believer in Jesus not afraid to live out his faith.

In the past week, I’ve had a few conversations with people about our kids’ approaching teen years and the concerns we have. After spinning the various dialogue in my mind for a while, I noticed something. We focused on the negatives. We talked only of what we knew our kids would face, how they would probably choose badly, and how awful it will be instead of how much faith we had in our kids to combat the world’s temptations with their faith. For myself, I started to wonder when I lowered the bar so far. When did I start to fear what would happen WHEN they would fail instead of living confidently knowing they have everything they need to succeed?

I’ve always been an optimistic person. Even to the point of irritating others because I refuse to wallow in negative emotions for too long. And I must admit, at times, this was tough. I found myself questioning who I was because people would tell me I wasn’t being “realistic” about a situation or owning the ugly parts. But I don’t question myself anymore. I serve a God of hope who calls me to live above the junk. Do I have bad days where I feel awful and have to own frustration, disappointment, anger, and fear? Absolutely. But I have learned to talk with God about those feelings and move on. His joy comes with the morning.

I read a great article about how Tebow’s faith shows the ugly truth about what our society has become. We accept and get behind famous people who make horrible choices every day and yet we want the good guy to fail. Because if he doesn’t, then that means there are people out there who rise above the storm and we question our own ability to do so. I mean, no one can be that “good,” right? Is he perfect? Not at all. But he lives by a higher standard that challenges us to do the same. And it scares us.

I think all that Tebow has done is raise the bar. He shows us that someone can live in a world of fame, fortune, and power and still remain true to who he is. Will he make mistakes? Probably. But we all do. The point is not to remain perfect, but to try and live out a love for Jesus in every step of life.

I want my kids to know that I believe they have everything in them to be great. Not great by the world’s standards, but great by heaven’s standards. They can live in the “real” world but not be of it. They have what it takes the raise the bar.