Tim Tebow grew up in a Christian family, who goes to church not just on Sunday but any other days of the week. His parents were a great influence in his becoming a follower of Jesus because they lead by example what they believe in.
During a meaningful chat with Ravi Zacharias for Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, Tebow said that his parents are the epitome of what a Christian believer is like. He said he “got to see the Gospel” before he got to hear the Gospel from his parents.
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His dad reads the Bible every morning before he wakes up for breakfast and his parents have a humanitarian heart. They help those in need without expecting anything in return.
“I got to see these two examples every day,” he said.
The former NFL quarterback recalled that Sunday morning and evening, Wednesday night, and some other days, they would be in church. His family had an active church life but he admitted that this did not convince him to follow Jesus just yet. What convinced and inspired him was how his parents live the Christian life at home.
“What made an effect on me was watching my dad everyday. It was in hearing the gospel and my parents at night would bring me over to my dad’s big chair…We would read the Bible and he’d say, ‘Hey Timmie, is this something you want now?’ And over and over again I’d say, ‘Oh no, no, no dad. I’m not going to make this choice just yet,'” Tebow recalled.
Then it was this one night that he felt “so scared” because he finally realized that he was a sinner. He “finally, truly realized the gravity” of his sin “as a boy” and that’s when it hit him that he needed a Savior.
“I’m a sinner and I need a Savior because I have done a lot of wrong,” he recalled. So the next morning, he ran up to his mother and told her that he is ready to open his heart to Jesus.
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“My dad was out dealing with the chickens and the cows with my two older brothers. And I grabbed my mom and said, ‘I’ve got to ask Jesus to come into my heart right now.’ And she’s like, ‘Can I go get your dad?’ And I said, ‘No, I don’t have time.'”
Once inside the house, they went to the couch and Tebow got on his knees and prayed for Jesus to come into his heart. It was at this moment that he felt “adopted into the family of God” and felt that “his eternity was sealed.” He believed that he “went from darkness into light.”
His dad then witnessed his transition and he cried. Tebow recalled that everyone in his family was just so happy and excited that he has finally allowed Jesus into his life. It was when he was a boy that he accepted that he was a child of God and that he has a forever home in heaven.