Tim Tebow and 725 churches across 56 countries just hosted the 10th annual “Night to Shine” event for special needs young people, an event Tebow kicked off in 2015 to help share the love of God by honoring those young people with special needs.
Tebow, for his part, managed to surprise excited guests with visits at seven different “Night to Shine” locations across the world alongside his wife Demi, making it to three different Ohio locations and events in Belize, Brazil, Colombia, and Guatemala.
Tweeting about this year’s celebrations in a powerful thread on X, Tebow said, “We believe in Jesus as our greatest example, our how, and the answer. He loved us enough to give everything so that we could be reconciled with Him, and as Jesus accomplished His mission to save us from sin and separation from God, He also saved us for the mission of spreading the Gospel and loving people…While on Earth, not only did Jesus show His love for all of humanity, but more than 60% of his publicly recorded miracles were for those that were afflicted. A lot of times, the afflicted meant special needs.”
He continued, “We believe it is significant that Jesus demonstrated his heart for people with disabilities in this way, and that as a society, we should to. But unfortunately, people with special needs are still unseen, neglected, and often worse – thought of as insignificant, less than. 16% of world lives with special needs, and worldwide, there is still a false, harmful narrative around disabilities that is even more widespread.”
Then, explaining the heartbreaking circumstances for many special needs people and their families around the world, he said, “There are still families who feel forgotten, who are starving for support, and children who are often viewed in their communities as shameful, or even cursed. It breaks my heart to share with you, but there is so much hurt, neglect, and darkness globally within the lives of people with special needs and disabilities.”
So, that’s why he created the Night to Shine event: “By God’s grace, we have seen Night to Shine act as a catalyst, we’ve seen thousands of people serve with us and help turn Night to Shine into a worldwide movement to share the message that every person with special needs inherently deserves be celebrated, that they’re loved, and that their true identity is a child of God. Change for families and people with special needs that lasts is a slow process, and candidly, not up to us…we pray God-sized prayers, we give Him our discouragement, we take action as it’s up to us, and then we have faith trusting it’s up to God. But taking that first step is an important part of the process, which is to shift our mindset.”
With it, he hopes to spark a change in how people think about those with special needs and start viewing everyone as created in the image of God: “When we truly begin to view ALL people as being made in the image of God, the inherent value of each and every individual becomes impossible to argue. We begin to understand that there is meaning and purpose assigned by God to every human life. A person can no longer be viewed as nobody. He or she is somebody – and not just somebody, God’s creation. People’s differences or perceived limitations are no longer what defines them. They are indeed special, but not in the way the phrase “special needs” so often describes. They are special simply because they are His beloved children, perfectly and purposefully made in the image of their Creator.”
“Our hope is that as they walked the down the red carpet, or were crowned King or Queen, that they didn’t just know love as a concept, but they experienced the love of all the people cheering for them, they experienced the love of Jesus, and walked away knowing full well in their heart they are loved. Because at the @tebowfoundation
we believe all are created in His image, and we have a big job to do until all are celebrated, until all are free, until all are loved, and until all know they are God’s royalty. We believe that every country, every city, every community, and every remote part of the world needs a Night to Shine and God’s message,” he added.
He also posted a video about the event and his excitement for it. Watch that here:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video