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The Coach, the Monk and the Truth

Somebody once said that we are known by the company we keep.  To an extent, I think this is probably true.  I would be happy to be known by the range of friends that I have.  I have some very good people I call friends.  To be associated with them is a privilege.  But we can take this even further.

It might also be true that we are known by the people we read.  No doubt, the folks that we read do inform us.  And often, they form us.  There is no question but what I have been influenced mightily by the various spiritual writers I have read over the decades.  I think this is especially true in our younger years when we are being formed as people.  But hopefully, we continue to grow even into our “silver years.”

I would call this a form of continuing revelation.  Calling it such is not meant to take on the tricky issue of biblical authority.  As I want to use the phrase, continuing revelation, I simply mean an ongoing relationship with authors, ideas and my own personal growth.  I very much hope I can continue this growth trajectory until I am no longer able to read and interact. 

By growth I do not mean that we necessarily keep changing our minds.  To the contrary, a good bit of personal growth is not changing our minds so much as it is getting some intellectual, emotional and spiritual depth.  Effective growth might be stabilizing as much as it is change.  My hope is that I might grow more and more into the truth that I come to see and understand.

That’s why yesterday’s reading was fascinating.  I felt exposed to some deeper truth that resonated with what I felt I already knew.  And it came rather unexpectedly from two sources I happened to be reading.  I was reading to be informed.  And in the process personal and spiritual formation happened.  I am always grateful for this experience.

The first source came from the daily newspaper I read.  Early morning hour with coffee and sports page is not typically the venue for continuing revelation.  I was reading a story about the collegiate football powerhouse, Ohio State.  Since I am not a native Buckeye, I lack the passion for this football phenomenon that some colleagues manifest.  So I was rather casually reading about the famous coach, Urban Meyer. 

Suddenly a sentence jumped out at me with a kind of resounding truth that I gulped my coffee.  It was a basic truth, but it deepened my conviction of how true it really is.  Meyer said, “Routine is something that is undervalued.”  I agree with Coach Meyer that routine is extremely important.  Routine is the heart of discipline.  In my case it is not football; it is spiritual discipline.  It is clear to me that we succeed with spiritual discipline when we are able to establish a routine.

Routine is crucial because it enables us to continue being engaged with the discipline even when we may not want to do it.  When we are in a routine, we don’t have to decide every day or every occasion whether we want to do something.  Routine is like a favorite friend who nudges and nourishes us toward good things.  Routine is like a good friend helping us to do good things. Well said, coach!

Then later in the day, I turned to my favorite monk, Thomas Merton.  Unlike Coach Meyer, Merton is deceased.  But that does not mean his words do not ring just as true.  I was reading one of his books from the early 50s and hit this sentence.  Merton quips, “Duty does not have to be dull.”  Once again, this rang so true to me.

It seems like duty has a bad reputation these days.  Many folks shun duty, if they possibly can.  Freedom is more important.  Duty gets in our way of doing what we want.  And yet, there is a time-honored role for duty.  I link duty with obligation.  And it often means something I “have” to do.  But it does not have to be solely a drill sergeant mentality.  Let’s cite two instances of duty that come out of our freedom.

In the first instance, if I have chosen and developed a friendship, then I have an obligation---a duty---to nurture and cherish that friendship.  I “owe” it to my friend to be faithful, helpful, etc.  And my friend has the same duty to me---thankfully.

Secondly, I think of my duty to the Holy One.  If I have entered into a relationship with God, then I have freely assumed an obligation---a duty---to be faithful, loving, etc.  Duty is a delight in this case.  To shun my duty is to be untrue to the relationship and to my belief.  Duty is healthy and delightful.  As Merton says, duty does not have to be dull.  Well said, monk!

I appreciate my monk friend and my football coach for the truths they speak.  They give me a new appreciation for two rock solid convictions about human relationships and activity.  Much depends on routine and on duty.  I am happy to be known by the company I keep---monks, coaches and truth seekers.  

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