Former NFL star Tim Tebow joined thousands of Christians at the National Mall on Saturday for the Together 2016 event. In his speech, he encouraged them to combat hate in this world by loving "every person they come in contact with."
Tebow recalled how he led the Gators to a victory during the 2007 BCS National Championship Game. He was feeling quite pleased with himself while sitting in his hotel room that day. But after all the celebrations, Tebow began thinking about the "ultimate goal of what I want my life to be and what I want my life to represent."
The Christian athlete realised then that nothing would make him happier than to serve the Heavenly Father without holding anything back. When Tebow finally comes face to face with his Maker, he said he would like to hear God telling him, "Timmy, I just want you to know I love you, I am proud of you, you finished strong."
Tebow said he shared that personal reflection because he wants to remind people of God's command to love Jesus and to love other people. Jesus loves people so much that He died for their sins, and all He wants in return is for people to accept His love and spread it to others.
"I am going to challenge you to love every single person in your life. I am going to challenge you to love your husband, your wife, to love your kids, to love your families, to love your communities, to love your neighbours, to love every single person you come in contact with," Tebow said.
"So many times, we can get confused — 'what do I do and how do I do it?' I'll tell you what. Let's break it down and make it real simple. When we love Jesus and we love people, we are going to make a difference and make an impact," he said.
It only takes a few people to start spreading love, and once Christians get the ball rolling, Tebow said he is confident that they can change communities, neighbourhoods, and "even the Kingdom of God."
