Happy New Year, Tim Tebow

I, along with millions of other people, have been following the saga of Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos. I've had the privilege of following this saga as a Colorado resident and Denver Broncos fan.

At the moment, I feel bad for the kid. The loss to Kansas City while only scoring three points was very frustrating to him and everyone else rooting for the Broncos.

The fishbowl existence that exists for EVERY quarterback of the Broncos has to be an increasingly hard burden to shoulder. As an Eastern Orthodox Christian who USED to be a Southern Baptist (Tebow's current spiritual home is the Southern Baptist Church), I have mixed feelings about the whole thing.

I'm glad the Broncos are in the playoffs again, I just wish it was more enjoyable for someone like TT who has put so much hard work into this season.

God seems to have an ironic sense of humor.

The Broncos lose, the Raiders lose, and the Broncos get to the playoffs anyway. I'm sure Tim wasn't looking for the answer to his prayers on the sideline yesterday to get in by the Raiders losing. I'm sure his prayer was that the Broncos might win and take care of their own business.

I love the fact that Tebow seeks to draw attention to Jesus Christ so openly. I have thoroughly enjoyed the winning streak he helped to engineer this year when the Broncos went 6-0 at one point and 7-1 with Tebow at the helm . . .

But the three-game losing streak to close out the season, coupled with what seems to be Tim's increasingly desperate-looking praying on the sidelines is starting to make me very uncomfortable.

My fear for Tim is that he is getting so wrapped up in his personal NFL dream that he's starting to confuse this dream with God's ultimate will and purpose for his life.

I believe it is God's will for Tebow to be involved in NFL football, but perhaps for a very limited time.

From Tebow's own account from his autobiography "Through My Eyes" which I was given as a Christmas present, a larger purpose for Tebow seems to be implied: 'As The Jesus Film played on a large, homemade screen hanging between two coconut trees, (my dad) became heavily burdened by the millions of babies being aborted in America. While weeping over the gigantic loss of human life, my dad began to pray, 'Father, if you want another preacher in this world, you give him to me. You give me Timmy, and I'll raise him to be a preacher.'

This is reminiscent of what happened with the Prophet Samuel and with the Judge, Sampson. Their mothers asked desperately for children with the proviso that said children would be dedicated completely to God in a specifically ministerial role.

It seems possible to me that this 2011 - 2012 season with the Broncos is only a brief chapter in a larger story.

Tebow has achieved international fame this year. People all over the world have been "Tebowing."

Tebow's dream was to be a starting NFL quarterback. Well, that dream has ALREADY been accomplished. God never promised that Tebow would have a LONG career as a starting NFL quarterback.

In the larger scheme of things, NFL football is NOT AS IMPORTANT as doing direct ministry for God.

This is what is making me uncomfortable right now. I can foresee an internal battle for Tim Tebow should God call him away from football and towards direct Christian Ministry of the kind that his father Bob is involved in. Part of such a call away from NFL football might be "running into a wall" where Tim can't continue to progress as a player.

As an Eastern Orthodox Christian who knows the weaknesses and "holes" of my past evangelical / baptist faith, I fear that Tim is in for some bumps and bruises along the way. I'm not talking here of literally physical bumps and bruises, but of some bumps and bruises to his feelings and current identity.

So I'm wishing Tim a Happy New Year. By "Happy" I mean a year for Tim with the happy circumstance of moving into the center of God's will for his life. Getting there might not be a happy experience for him at first, but I do believe Tim truly loves God and will eventually surrender to Him his personal dream of playing football, should God request that he do so. And God just might do this, not because he is mean or punishing Tim, but because He has a plan in mind that has existed from the foundation of the world.

Tim may still succeed wildly as an NFL Quarterback and football player, but this might not be God's highest priority for him.

Tim has been a "preacher" of a sort for the Christian faith as a football player. But God might call him to be an ACTUAL preacher as well.

My prayer for TIm is that IF he goes through a period of suffering and finds that his current evangelical faith lets him down, that he will find his way to a fuller and face-forwardly sacramental and more historically-based Christianity. And if Tim ever becomes a pastor like his dad, I pray that someday, he might also become a Priest with a capital "P."

The Baptist Christian Faith has its strong points, but also grave weaknesses. My fear is that TIm will put all of his weight on those areas of weakness and get deeply hurt in the process. My prayer for him is that IF this happens, that his faith will not fail.

This kind of a fall happened to me when I was around his age. I pray it doesn't happen to him in the same way.

One thing he has going for him seems to be his single-mindedness. I lacked this trait when I was younger.

Hopefully this will keep him from falling as hard as I did.

And maybe he won't really fall all that hard at all.

Saint Timothy, Apostle of Christ Jesus, pray for your younger brother Tim Tebow that he will be saved to the uttermost, and protected from all the assaults of the Enemy of our souls.

Columba Silouan