T he New York Times bestselling author and Heisman Trophy winner shares a vision for young Christians still forming their identity and finding their God-given purpose—even when life doesn’t go as planned. Beloved sports icon Tim Tebow was a college football champion and a first-round draft pick—but then he was traded and eventually cut. In Shaken Young Reader’s Edition, he reveals how he navigated both triumph and disappointment and explains how neither the highs nor the lows of his life define him. Ultimately, only God can do that. The same is true for every one of us. God has given us a unique set of talents and experiences in order to fulfill our divine purpose. Whether He intends for us to influence those close to us, like our friends and our family, or even the entire world, there are no limits to the great things God can accomplish through us when we let Him determine who we are. But we may miss God’s incredible plan for our lives if we’re so busy trying to be just like everyone else—by blending in with the crowd or refusing to stand up for what is right. Jesus was anything but normal! Nothing is more empowering, more life-giving, and more exciting than having a strong identity. Jesus knows this, and He wants you to know it as well. When we are willing to let God define who we are, He will take what we have to offer and multiply it in ways and for purposes that we cannot imagine! ECPA  bestseller Tim Tebow  is a two-time national champion, Heisman Trophy winner, first-round NFL draft pick, and a former professional baseball player. Tebow is a speaker, a college football analyst with ESPN and the SEC Network, and the author of four New York Times bestsellers, including  Shaken, This Is the Day,  and the children’s book Bronco and Friends: A Party to Remember . He is the founder and leader of the Tim Tebow Foundation (TTF), whose mission is to bring faith, hope, and love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need. Tim is married to Demi-Leigh Tebow (née Nel-Peters), a South African model and Miss Universe 2017. Tim and Demi live in Jacksonville, Florida, with their three dogs, Chunk, Kobe, and Paris. 1 Cut We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope. —Martin Luther King Jr. The locker room felt grim. You could just feel the tension. Guys stood in front of giant wooden lockers. On hooks and shoved in corners were more than just sweaty shorts and worn helmets. More than stuff. My New England Patriots teammates were staring at signs of shattered plans. Failure. Disappointment. It was late August, time for roster cuts. NFL teams start out with ninety guys. By the end of the last week of the preseason, the number drops down to fifty-three. During those seven days, you can’t help but feel on edge. Especially as you walk into the locker room after a workout and from the corner of your eye see a buddy that you trained and worked so hard with. Now he’s glum, black trash bags in hand. It was like that all day. One by one, a handful of my teammates started cleaning out their lockers. Told to go home. That it was over. Some masked the disappointment they felt. With others, it was written all over their faces. On one hand, I was relieved. It wasn’t me getting called into a conference room and then having to dump protein shakes, deodorant, and cleats into a noisy trash bag. On the other hand, I felt for these guys. They were my friends. And now, they weren’t on the team anymore. I remember clapping one guy on the shoulder and saying, “Hey, man. God’s got a plan. He’s got this.” To another, I gave a bear hug, saying nothing. As the day went on, I thought about my standing on the team. I felt like I had gotten more comfortable with my performance. We had just beaten the New York Giants 28–20 the night before, August 29, 2013. In this preseason finale, I had finished 6 of 11 in passing for 91 yards with two touchdowns. Yeah, maybe I didn’t do my best, but I was just starting to click with the team. And then, sucker punch. It was my turn. *** I didn’t see it coming. Maybe because I was one of the last players to get cut. I spent that Friday training in the Patriots facilities at Gillette Stadium. As I worked out, I felt a bit off. In the back of my mind, I was waiting for someone to pop his head into that room and call me into a meeting. But no one came. That helped to take some of the pressure off. After my workout, I walked into the locker room. Seeing teammate after teammate getting released made me tense up again. I said goodbye to the guys while anxiously glancing over my shoulder. Waiting for something to happen. Maybe someone to call me into an office. Maybe a text. But nothing. A part of me began to think I was safe. I remember earlier that day talking to Robert Kraft, the owner of the Patriots. I liked and respected this man. He told me he was looking forward to seeing me at a barbeque he was hosting for the team the next day. I took his words as