Proverbs were a favorite of his father’s, said Tebow, who then shared from memory a lengthy portion of Proverbs 6. “My dad didn’t want us to be lazy,” he noted, talking about the ant and the sluggard. Tebow’s mother often put Scripture to music, which he said helped with retention.
When Peterson asked about the value of memorizing Scripture even without necessarily understanding the meaning, Tebow pushed back. “I think kids understand a lot more sometimes than we give them credit for,” he said. Some parts people grasp right away, while others “click” down the road, he added, and the Bible verses also help people realize when they miss the mark.
The Joy of Viewing Faith as a ‘Get To’
The two men also talked about people’s attitudes toward challenges. Peterson said he believes mindset determines how we develop physically, spiritually, and emotionally.
“I love that so much,” Tebow replied. “We get the choice of living a ‘have to’ or a ‘get to’ life.” While a mentality of feeling obligated leads to burnout, he said, a mindset of opportunity sustains people amid struggles and trials.
The same is true in the faith journey, according to Tebow. Following Jesus is “not a ‘have to,’ it’s a ‘get to,’” he told listeners, “and it totally changes the mindset, it changes the joy in it, the difference between, ‘Man, I ‘have to’ go do this every day or I ‘get to’ go do this.’”
