God the Good Guy

I did not know who or what "tebowing" was until this afternoon while driving with my husband on the toll road. As we listened to the Texans game on AM radio, he mentioned something about Tim Tebow, but I could not really comment because I had no idea who the guy was.  I did know I've heard this name several times over the past two weeks and I shared that with him.  He enlightened me "good guy, strong faith, people love him or hate him" and so for more details, I consulted my all-knowing source, Wikipedia, to fill in the blanks.  Somehow when we drive, we always end up on the road together this way- him driving and me reading articles from Wikipedia aloud.

So after a brief intermission, I now know all I need to know about tebowing.  And it really is nothing new; there really is nothing new under the sun, as Ecclesiastes states so perfectly.  Folks kneel and pray or kneel and acknowledge God all the time, and have done this both publicly and privately, for century upon century.  Maybe its controversial because he's doing it during Monday Night Football, or perhaps because he's a young kid, or maybe its the whole pro-life stance he's taken on the television.  I don't know the answer to why he is so infamous for his faith, since the Christians I know all "tebow" from time to time.  Even more so, I don't understand why he is so polarizing.  But I do know that the situation he is in makes his faith very bold - he really puts it out there, in a silent but deafening sort of way.

So, fast forward to tonight as we were getting our son ready to head towards bed, he was expending his final burst of energy for the night, when he suddenly started yelling "I love you God", but in the long, drawn out way, so it actually sounded a bit more like this: "I lovvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvve yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyouuuuuu Goddddddddd"!  He struck me like Tebow must strike others - putting it out there. Loud. Bold.

How is it that my three year old son fully trusts in, fully believes in and fully loves God?  He needs no treatment of Christian apologetics, no discourse on faith and hope to arrive at his conclusions.  He just knows.

He sees God for what He truly is - the Good Guy, the Super Hero, the Artist of Trees and Flowers, and the Creator of Chocolate Chip Cookies. Okay, the last one I haven't corrected yet... chocolate is heavenly, right?

Maybe its easier for my son, since his life is so much simpler than mine. He's not skeptical, his heart has not yet been broken, and grief is (God-willing) light years away for him.  My son is "all in" in every present moment.  He wears no mask or facade, as his heart and mind are not clouded by the wordly worries that pester me daily.

Sincerity, openness, earnestness.  These are the qualities of my kid.  Maybe God prefers the kids to the adults?  When I think about it in this way, I think I might, too.

Perhaps this was what Jesus was talking about when he said "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." 


I hope and pray that I continue to raise a boy who can hear God in all of the beauty of this world yelling right back to him, "I love you, too".



These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. - Deuteronomy 6:6-9