Back in 2017, I wrote the following devotional about Tim Tebow during the early stage of his baseball career. I believe it's worth unpacking today when considering he's still pursuing a spot on a major league roster as he heads into his fifth season.
Although Tebow has suffered injuries over the past two years, he's proven a lot of people wrong and I'm pulling for him to make it. But even if he doesn't, he continues to inspire people along the way and is currently making noise in spring training by hitting his first home run of the year on Tuesday.
From 2017...
Spring training is underway and people are fascinated that Tim Tebow is suiting up and once again trying to make the New York Mets roster. It still seems like a long shot that he’ll make it to the big leagues, but what if that’s the point?
ESPN’s David Fleming wrote a really interesting article about Tebow’s journey (from the NFL to the Mets) titled, "Tim Tebow’s Relentless Pursuit of Failure.”
In the article, Flemming writes, “In parting ways with the Patriots, Tebow tweeted 2 Corinthians 12:9, which says, in part, that ‘power is perfected in weakness’ and, therefore, the best way to have Christ’s power dwell inside you is by boasting of your weaknesses.“This seems to be the moment where Tebow was able to meld his rapidly dwindling prospects as an NFL quarterback with the universal connection to, and the spiritual rewards of, failing with honor and purpose – sometimes over and over and over again.”
We know Tebow’s professional career has been filled with disappointment after disappointment, but what if God is doing something deeper in him and the people around him? It’s one thing when athletes give God praise and glory after a win, but Tebow has been able to point to God through his multiple failures.
Mark Anshel, the author of In Praise of Failure, was quoted in Fleming’s article saying, “I think Tim Tebow knows exactly what he’s doing. If helping people deal with failure is how you believe you were called to serve God, then I’d say attempting to become a professional baseball player out of the blue at 29 is the absolute best place for him to be.”
It’s not something we really want to believe, but what if God is truly leading Tebow or ourselves on a path that includes tremendous failure?
What if our lives on earth aren’t about revealing God’s love and power through our wins and successes, but instead through hardships and failures?
Will we still trust and follow Jesus down a path where failure is required in order to accomplish another purpose? Do we believe that God’s glory and goodness are actually on full display when we are weak and broken?
What if a place of failure is exactly where we need to be in order to surrender to Jesus or to show others just how dependent we are on Him? Do we allow our failures to result in growth and future wins?
Failure is essentially at the core of the Gospel because failing reflects our need for a Savior. Beyond failing in life’s pursuits, we also fail in our efforts at being “good enough” to earn salvation on our own. The essence of who we are is actually a failure, and that’s why we rely on Jesus.
The Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT), “God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”
Today, let’s view failure in a different light and recognize that God and His goodness can be found in the middle of it. Salvation, purpose, and strength are available to us in our weakness.
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I’m blown away at how You use failure in my life to draw me closer to You and deepen my dependence on You. I need Your grace and strength in my weakness and I trust You to mightily work in my brokenness. I believe there is a purpose in my failure and I pray You would help me see it. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Discussion Questions for PACKS:
How has your experience with failure grown you and changed you for the better?
How would viewing failure differently change your perspective on stepping out in faith?
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