Tim Tebow: Equipping People to Lead “Mission Possible” Lives
MISSION POSSIBLE
To live a mission possible life means executing the works that God has already prepared for you to do which includes reaching the lost and helping the hurting. When you are mission driven, you use your ability and God’s empowerment to help, serve, guide, teach, pray, and lead others. When Tim was fifteen, he met a boy named Sherwin in the Philippians (where Tim’s parents were missionaries). Sherwin was born with his feet on backwards and was viewed as “cursed” in his village. When the people saw Tim hold the boy, they realized the good news of Jesus applied to everyone. It was then that Tim’s passion to help people grew. In 2010, Tim created the Tim Tebow Foundation with a mission to bring faith, hope and love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need.
MISSION EXCELLENCE
God can manifest His presence in whatever you do when you take pride in what you do. Tim says we can learn a great deal from the life of Daniel, someone who fought for excellence and trained hard. Daniel transformed a kidnapping into a mission. While in captivity Daniel learned the language, was obedient, and stood up for his spiritual beliefs. Tim shares three practical ways to live a mission possible life with excellence that Daniel modeled for us:
• Do it with integrity, even if no one was watching. When you start living and acting as though God’s eyes are always watching then you will start living a little differently. Tim recalls as a child he always wanted to do good things in front of his parents or others so they could see how awesome he was and reward him, but that was the problem. There is no real fulfillment in doing nice things for a dollar or a pat on the back. It is more fulfilling to do the right thing because you want to please your heavenly Father.
• Do it with a heart of gratitude. As a professional athlete there were times Tim wasn’t crazy about the outcome. For example, getting cut when he worked so hard for something. Tim learned how to flip his mentality and choose gratitude in every situation. When he gets discouraged, he chooses to think about what God has done in his life and how faithful He is.
• Do it with excellence. No matter what you do in life aim to be your personal best.
MAKE YOUR LIFE COUNT
You can do something to build the kingdom of God. It is not because of your skill or success or talents, but rather the unique calling and purpose God has placed on you that He has equipped you for. In keeping a mission possible attitude Tim encourages you to choose the following:
• Purpose over preference – As a kid, Tim recalls how his dad use to pray in a restaurant when they would go out to eat. His dad was so loud (never ashamed of making his faith known) that three tables over could hear him. Tim admits he would cringe in his seat but grew to admire his dad’s strong faith. He says, “The significance of your life creates more value than what others think about you.”
Another example Tim shares is about the prophet Jonah. God’s mission for him was to preach to the Ninevites but doing so did not align with Jonah’s preferences because he hated the Ninevites and felt they deserved to be destroyed. God said, “Preach,” but Jonah ran and was swallowed by a whale. After repenting of choosing his preferences over God’s purpose, he was given another chance to preach the gospel. Instead of destroying the city, God poured out His compassion and forgiveness on the people. Previously, Jonah had prophesied that God was going to demolish the city, and because God changed his mind, Jonah was concerned about what his fellow Israelites would think of him more than about God fulfilling His greatest mission on earth: saving mankind.
• Not having the how and why – In the Bible there are numerous examples of God handing out assignments in which He reveals the what, but very little how and why. For example, God told Noah he was going to flood the earth and to build an ark. A huge undertaking that brought up many questions, but Noah remained faithful (trusting God), and God did the work. In 2015, Tim and his team added the Night to Shine event, a prom centered on God’s love for people with special needs, to the Tim Tebow Foundation. For five months he and his team worked tirelessly to build a game plan for something they had never done before. Tim felt led to bring this event to life but did not always have the answers to the how and why. Today it is a worldwide movement celebrating over 100,000 people with special needs annually.
• Significance over success – Significance is about serving others. When your focus is on others your priorities are wrapped around the Great Commission. Don’t let your end goal be about praise, promotion and applause. Instead, make it about people, purpose and passion. Tim shares how the engagement story to his wife Demi involved intention, focus, and detail in each step. He worked hard to pick the perfect location, to buy the right ring, and invite family to be a part of this special day. He was passionate about his mission: to create a story Demi would be excited to retell a thousand times in the future. He had spent time each day doing a task, however small, to ultimately accomplish the mission. Mission living means being motivated by something other than yourself.
• Eternal mindset – know that your work on earth is to accomplish something of eternal value so be mindful of the time you are given. As Paul said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” ( ).
BRONCO AND FRIENDS
Tim’s latest children’s book, Bronco and Friends: Mission Possible will be released March 29, 2022. The book features the same lovable characters introduced in his first children’s book, the New York Times bestseller Bronco and Friends: A Party to Remember. The storybook is filled with vivid and fun illustrations, values like courage, kindness, helping others and the importance of friendship are communicated to young children and families. “I wrote Bronco and Friends: Mission Possible to help children see they need the help of a team and that when they make a good decision and help others, they can be happy and fulfilled and find their purpose from God,” shares Tim.
