This Is The Day
Book Reviews aim to provide succinct, thoughtful summaries of books I have read. They contain quotes from the book, thoughts from others, and also some thoughts of my own. Typically they will be structured in the following order: author, introduction, message and purpose, remarkable chapter, and conclusion. This review will cover This Is The Day, a book written by Tim Tebow that encourages people to attack each day with purpose and passion.
Author
Tim Tebow
Introduction
Drawing from several years' worth of touching stories, Tim Tebow delivers an inspirational message in his third book, This Is The Day. Tebow uncovers the mindset needed to reclaim your dream, ignite your passion, and live out the purpose God placed in your heart. A practical and easy-to-read book, Tebow offers encouraging words for readers of all ages with countless personal stories from his journey through professional sports and the foundation he and his family run to support children with special needs.
Message and Purpose
The overall message of this book is this: take action for what God has called you to do. Tomorrow is never promised, so you better be taking an actionable step towards your goals and dreams today. Many people sit back and wait, hoping that better days are ahead or that a more convenient time will eventually come. This Is The Day urges readers to take life one day at a time, attacking each day with enthusiasm, and helping others along the way. As Tebow describes in the introduction:
God gives us today as a gift. He wants us to pursue it, not just for selfish ambition but to do something meaningful with it. To use it to grow, to love others well, to help someone, to pursue a dream He's put on our hearts. This is the day to live without fear of the unknown, without being chained by failure or what-ifs. This is the day to be willing to change, to be open, to believe, to hope. If we don't attack each day with this intentionality, it's almost like telling God, "Thanks, but no thanks."
Having already lived quite an extraordinary life before writing this book, Tebow discusses growing up in the Philippines to Christian missionaries, his experience playing major college football and professional football, his switch to professional baseball, and the foundation he runs with his family that supports special needs children around the world. With seemingly unlimited stories to choose from, Tebow brings unique credibility when discussing how to live a God-centered life.
Remarkable Chapter
Chapter 5: Believe in What Really Matters is well worth your time. In this chapter, Tebow discusses the things we choose to believe in (God, our abilities, other people, etc). Tebow believes that every time we meet someone, it never ends neutral. This is to say that whenever someone has an encounter with you, their experience is either positive or negative. Think about that. Every opportunity you have with someone is an opportunity to influence that person for the good.
Deeper into the chapter, Tebow discusses responding and taking action to what we believe. To give a dynamite excerpt from the chapter:
Do you think before he was given the assignment, Noah ever thought to himself, "One day I'm going to build an ark and save a bunch of people from destruction by a flood?" Do you think Moses woke up one day and believed he was going to be part of the reason the people of Israel would be free from Egypt? Do you believe that as a boy David knew he was going to someday crush a giant with a stone? I doubt it. I'm sure it was hard for these guys to see the vision. But when they were called by God, they stepped out in faith. And despite their insecurities, they believed more in what God could do through them than in what they were capable of on their own.
Sometimes we live so cautiously that we don't give God adequate space to come through and deliver for us. Stepping out in faith, embracing the discomfort, and not being timid about what God is calling us to do can be challenging, but obedience in God never goes unnoticed. Obedience isn't internal; obedience is taking action.
Conclusion
This Is The Day is excellent fuel to jump-start the dream you've been putting off for awhile now. All of us have goals and dreams and things we want to accomplish in life - sometimes it's a bucket-list item or a life goal, other times it's something that can be accomplished this week. Regardless of the timeline, This Is The Day will encourage you to take an effortful step in the right direction and instill a fire in your soul to make these effortful steps habitual.