Guest Opinion/Commentary*

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Tim Tebow: To be or not to be, that was the question
  Culture Wars piece by Guest: Kendall Wingrove

Bob and Pam Tebow faced a decision.

The missionaries were expecting their fifth child and the pregnancy had been filled with one nightmare after another. 

“The placenta was never properly attached, and there was bleeding from the get-go,“ Bob recalled years later. “We thought we’d lost him several times.“ 

Pam contracted amebic dysentery, which briefly put her in a coma.  Her doctors, fearful that medications they prescribed had damaged the baby, advised the couple to abort the child.  They refused.

Against all odds, a healthy son was born on Aug. 14, 1987.  The Tebows named him Timothy Richard. 

From the moment of his son’s arrival, Bob considered Timmy a miracle baby and repeatedly told him that “God’s got a purpose for you, and at some point I think He’s going to call you to preach.”  The scrawny lad grew to 6 feet 3 inches and became a gridiron hero.  Bob quipped, “I asked God for a preacher, and he gave me a quarterback.“

Tim Tebow excels in both fields and knows how to consistently gain ground despite fierce opposition.  Long open about his Christian beliefs, Tebow has touched many lives during a stellar college football career.  As he helped guide the Florida Gators to a pair of national championships and earned the coveted Heisman Trophy, fans admired Tim’s intensity and integrity, on and off the field.   

That integrity will be center stage on Super Bowl Sunday, when Tebow’s story is scheduled to be shared with tens of millions of viewers in a 30-second commercial produced by Focus on the Family.  Although no preview has yet been seen, the advertisement has given birth to torrents of criticism. 

“This ad is frankly offensive,” said Erin Matson of the National Organization for Women.  “It is hate masquerading as love.”

When a group wants to use the public airwaves to tell of a courageous mother’s love for her unborn child, and the material is swiftly labeled as “hate” speech, it speaks volumes about the critics and our modern society.

Psalm 127:3 says that “truly, children are a gift from the Lord.“  Yet these precious ones are treated by some as lifestyle choices that can be disposed of as a matter of personal preference, like NFL franchises trading away a draft pick for a strategic advantage.

Children aren’t mistakes to be corrected or inconveniences to shove aside.  Their existence should be celebrated, not merely tolerated; their cries should be a welcome noise and not a burden that interferes with preset notions of fulfillment.

To be sure, they almost always carry the imperfections of their parents.  But children are fearfully and wonderfully made, knit in their mother’s wombs, just like the psalmist said. 

The Tebows grasped that and decided to keep their son, long before they knew he’d be a football star.  They wanted him, warts and all, and handed over the keys to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In doing so they secured a victory far more important than any Super Bowl win.

Such a triumph is a thorn to groups obsessed with their selfish agendas.  The Tebows’ message of love and acceptance, regardless of person’s shortcomings, stands in stark contrast to the rigidity of the social managers attacking this ad.  The only “hate speech” being expressed in this controversy is the turbulence bubbling from their angry, threatened hearts. 

Instead of listening to these loud drums as they bang for attention, we should focus on the many unsung heroes that stand among us.  It’s time to cheer the mothers and fathers who quietly score touchdowns every day while raising children and carving out a path for them to follow.  Millions of parents will never hear the public praise bestowed upon Bob and Pam Tebow, but angels are applauding these faithful servants as they build an eternal legacy of love.

Kendall Wingrove
Copyright ©2010 Kendall Wingrove

Posted by Guest: Kendall Wingrove on 2/3/10

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