This past Monday, January 8, the University of Alabama’s football team won the college championship game. At first, they were losing. By halftime, the score was 13 to 0, Alabama holding the zero in that score. Then at halftime, the coach took out the starting quarterback, and put in a Samoan kid from Hawaii named, Tua Tagovailoa. That kid tore it up and led Alabama to win the game.

I’m excited about this story, for one good reason. It’s not because my nephew knows this kid and roomed with him at their all star game in Hawaii. It’s because of what this kid said after the game. Right after the game, Tua said to the reporter, while a cameraman filmed him, “First and foremost, I’d like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. With Him, all things are possible, that’s what happened tonight.” That’s what he said, right there on camera for all the world to see. He made no apologies for his belief in God. God was who he wanted to thank right there on national television.

Jon Acuff said, “Tua giving God the legit shoutout. If you say, “Thank you God” it means you’re a rapper at the Grammy’s. If you say, “Lord and Savior” and “all glory to God,” you ain’t messing around.”

What I love about Tua’s testimony after the game was the very fact that he gave one. He could have smiled big at the cameras and thanked his parents, then scooted on out of there. But he didn’t. He wanted to make a point, for all the world to see. He wanted to thank his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

This brought me so much encouragement. So often, I feel we Christians are the dregs of society. In this day and age, Christians often get a bad rap. There are the Christian bakers who refuse to bake wedding cakes for gay weddings. The media makes them out to be pariahs who want to bring harm and chaos upon those innocent homosexuals who just want a little ole wedding cake for their lil ole wedding. Tim Tebow is considered a pariah in the NFL because he is so vocal about his faith. The media says we’re judgey and mean. We won’t bake cakes for homosexual weddings. I mean, isn’t everyone entitled to love who they want?

The media often accuses us of being terrorists. When a terrorist attack happens, very often some reporter will come out and say, “Those right-wing Christians, probably had something to do with this.” Of course, this is long before, anyone knows what happened. And ten times out of ten, we find out it was definitely not the Christians who did it.

So often I feel like Elijah, when he ran away from Jezebel and just wanted to die. He felt he was the only one left. God had a little talking to with him. No, Elijah, you aren’t the only one left. There are seven thousand Israelites who haven’t bent the knee to Baal. (1 Kings 19:18) Seven thousand is no insignificant little number. Get up Elijah, you are not alone.

In my little corner of the world, I can get easily bogged down by all the negativity against Christians. I can become a little Elijahish in my thinking. And then this happens. A quarterback from Hawaii gives praise to his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on national television. Like Jon Acuff said, “you ain’t messing around.” This kid was unafraid. He played an amazing game and then gave credit to where he knew the credit was deserved.

When I see that I think, “Hey, he’s a Christian like me! I’m not the only one.” And he’s not afraid to tell everyone. That’s amazing. That’s fantastic. We aren’t the bad guys. There are kids out there like Tua, who aren’t afraid to publicly thank his Savior. And that encourages me.