I, Daria, Doth Decree the Following Blogeth:

The 3:16 Advocate: A Story of Hope

For someone who came very near to death even before birth, “God’s Quarterback” is nothing short of an awe-inspiring testament to the power behind a personal identity and a little courage.

Granted, there are dozens of celebrities who can proudly say that they’ve come to terms with who they are and are not afraid to stand up for what they believe in. But, there’s only one man who has taken an extra leap of faith – only one man who has fearlessly dedicated his life to a higher power – only one Tim Tebow.

As a vocal Christian and a driven quarterback for the Denver Broncos, Tebow has grabbed the attention of the media, evoked the interest of sports fans, and attracted a number of followers across the map – between hopeful observers who are rooting for his success, merciless critics who are waiting for him to fail, and good ol’ sports fans who just want to watch the game.

In fact, his ability to advocate for what he believes in without pause has even inspired me – someone who was oblivious of the fact that the LA Lakers is a basketball team up until a sufficiently awkward conversation with a sports fan – to follow Tebow’s activity on Facebook and stay up-to-date on the outcome of his games.

Although I know next to nothing about sports, I have little doubt that Tebow’s popularity is largely due to his buoyancy.

Consider the insulting Tweet posted by Bill Maher in response to the Denver Bronco’s loss to the Buffalo Bills on December 24, 2011: “Wow, Jesus just f***ed Tim Tebow bad! And on Xmas Eve! Somewhere in hell Satan is tebowing*, saying to Hitler ‘Hey, Buffalo’s killing them.’”

As one might expect, there’s plenty more where that came from, but Tebow’s faith and courage haven’t wavered in the slightest. He even put many critics to shame by leading the Denver Broncos to victory in the first round of the NFL playoffs during overtime with 316 passing yards, 31.6 yards per completion, and a CBS-sponsored TV rating of the game that peaked at 31.6.

Now, I’m not much of a numbers person, but there’s a Bible verse that says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that everyone believing into Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” It just so happens that prior to the game, Tebow painted a reference to the same verse on his eye black: John 3:16.

Whether Tebow was handed a lucky break or blessed by a divine power, that game led to a tweeting frenzy on Twitter that consisted of 9,420 tweets per second – outnumbering the tweets that flooded in during the royal wedding and the announcement of Osama Bin Laden’s death.

What makes Tebow’s story so intriguing is that his life was driven by perseverance even before he was born. As it turns out, his mother was on a missionary trip in the Philippines when she was pregnant with Tebow. But soon, both of their lives hung in the balance when she was diagnosed with amoebic dysentery – an infection of the intestine caused by the parasite Entamoeba histolytica. The doctors strongly advised Tebow’s mother to have an abortion to increase her chances of survival as she faced the leading cause of death in the Philippines at the time; however, she would have none of it, and neither would Tim Tebow.

Tebow has demonstrated a rare quality of someone in his position: tenaciousness. While many celebrities take radical measures to attract the attention of the media and to gain popularity, Tebow still has faith in Tim Notke’s philosophy: “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” By pursuing his passion and doing what he loves, this quarterback has turned into a respected role model who has demonstrated an unparalleled degree of fearlessness and has gained recognition as an independent thinker.

As described by the New York Post, “it’s countercultural to be an outspoken Christian.” Yet, Tebow doesn’t seem to mind. Instead, he uses his defiance of conformity to inspire others to follow their dreams and stay true to themselves, even when the world seems to say otherwise.

*tebowing – when one gets down on one knee and prays in the middle of an event, like a football game.