Praying and Football

"You may as soon find a living man that does not breath, as a living Christian that does not pray." ~Matthew Henry

Today I want to talk about two things that might not seem so related...praying and football.

First off, I'd like to start out with a great article about the "Prayer Ring" that happens before an OSU football game. The players take it upon themselves to form a circle, and to pray before every game. To thank God for the day, and the opportunity to play, and to ask for protection from injury. It's not mandatory. Coach Gundy thought only a few players took part. Turns out, the entire team gets in that circle every week and bows their heads. As if I needed another reason to be proud to wear orange? (Photo courtesy of OrangePower.com)

And second, let's talk about Tim Tebow, the former Florida Gator's quarterback and the current QB of the Denver Broncos. He is very religious, openly so, and consequently he takes a lot of heat for his faith. Most recently, after leading his team to a crazy amazing comeback, a photo was taken of Tebow bent down on one knee praying while the rest of his teammates were jumping around and celebrating. (Photo courtesy of Huffington Post)

Someone decided to coin the phrase "Tebowing" and people have started taking photographs of themselves mimicking Tim Tebow in prayer in random places...like walking across the street or in a busy restaurant or whatever.

While most people have just chuckled or decided to take a picture of their own,this whole craze made me think about myself. If I were on that field, after a huge comeback, who would I be? Am I Tim Tebow, or his teammates?

If I'm completely honest, I would be one of the teammates celebrating. Probably screaming like a crazy person and jumping on someone else's back. But you know what? I wish I was the person that Tim Tebow is. I wish that my first thought when something amazing happened in my life was to drop to my knees and thank God for it. Because that should be the first thing I do. Whether or not I literally drop to my knees or just silently say a prayer where I am, gratefulness towards Him should be my first reaction. I didn't really ever think about this until I saw the "Tebowing" picture.

I know that some people have taken this "Tebowing" thing as a way to mock Christians and prayer and God. And some people use it to mock Tim Tebow. But you know, for me, it sort of opened my eyes. It made me look at my own actions and my own thoughts, and realize that I could do better. That I want to do better. And it's made me decide that when something good happens, I'm going to make a conscious effort to first stop, pray, and be thankful. And then to start screaming like a wild person and jumping on someone's back.

You hear a lot of talk about negatives about star athletes. Drugs, partying, 72-day marriages. I wish you heard more talk about the good. About the prayer rings and the eye-opening lessons that kneeling in an end zone can provide. God uses us in ways we can never imagine. And for that, I am thankful.