An author-slash-theologian who has had a significant influence in my life over the last year or so has been Thomas Merton.
I typically spend my weekends mostly offline, leaving my computer under the couch (which also serves as my office most weekdays). On Sunday nights I feel pressured to write something powerful and thought-provoking to begin the new week, and to be honest with you, I’d rather spend that time still in reflection and offline.
Today begins the first of “Merton Mondays,” where I’ll share an insight from Thomas Merton. I think it’s a good way to begin the week, for me, because it allows me to still respect the down time of the weekend – and for you, because I know your RSS reader of choice is full of information people just have to share.
So, enjoy. Soak it in. And may your week begin well.
—
“We must expect to be making mistakes all the time. We must be content to fail repeatedly and to begin again to try to deny ourselves for the love of God…
We want to shake off the hateful thing that has humbled us. In our rush to escape the humiliation of our mistakes, we run headfirst into the opposite error, seeking comfort and compensation.
And so we spend our lives running back and forth from one attachment to another.
If that is all our self-denial amounts to,
…our mistakes will never help us.
The thing you do, when you have made a mistake, is not to give up doing what you were doing and start something altogether new, but to start over again with the thing you began badly and try, for the love of God, to do it well.
(Merton, Journals, Oct 7, 1949, II.372)
Comments
19 responses to “Merton Mondays #1: Mistakes”
I really needed to hear this. Thank you
Mistakes come with the life-package. No fun, most of the time. I like how Merton simply blurts out this truth right from the start – just expect the mistakes, but don’t let them stop you. Try again – for God! What a concept.
But the people who point out mistakes are overbearing, overcontrolling, rude about it, and it’s like they found a guinea pig to “pick” as an easy target. My question is why don’t they point out their own mistakes. But, do I start all over? You bet I do! and the people who never believe it would ever make a mistake sit by idly and have the attitude “whoa…I’m glad this is not me that is getting ripped apart.” These people have NO respect and would deny it, if it were to be discussed. So, Anne, what you wrote…starting over is the key. It’s my personality to be happy and positive and somehow that gets under their craw…because they can be positive and happy, but they won’t. Now, this is where the rubbber meets the road for me and I appreciate this post because I had figured…start over many times!!!!
.-= Carol´s last blog ..Fabulous Thought to Maintain! : ) =-.
Amen to this. Merton is a mentor of mine, as well … he always keeps me coming back to the dust from which I came and will return. I find great relief in that.
Thanks for sharing, Anne.
.-= Christianne´s last blog ..Moment of Love Monday: May 2010 =-.
Wow, this is so beautiful. Never heard of Thomas Merton. Will check on him. Thanks for this beautiful post.
this is good stuff, Anne!
in the class i took in the fall, the professor used a Merton work as our devotional throughout the semester.
thanks…
My biggest mistakes have become some of my biggest lessons in life. Thanks for this early morning reminder, Anne.
.-= Jenna B.´s last blog ..SMACK ME UPSIDE THE HEAD =-.
Wow. The Holy Spirit is amazing because I really needed to hear (read) this today. :) “And so we spend our lives running back and forth from one attachment to another” This hit home in my heart. I dont want to be on the same mountain for 40 years repeating my mistakes. So, here I am starting over again…Lord help me please. :)
Thanks for sharing Anne.
.-= Jen´s last blog ..jen_love222: Feeling very homesick…booo =-.
way to go Anne…great reminder for this Monday morning. So it is off to start ‘the thing’ over again.
.-= Michael H Smith´s last blog ..Preparing for Worship: who may worship? =-.
Just what I needed this Monday morning! Thanks Ann! Miss you at study.
I have a feeling I’m going to like these….
.-= Josh´s last blog ..Friday’s Quote of Note =-.
Wise words to live by. Putting them somewhere I can see them.
Thank you ma’am may I have another :)
…okay I will wait ’till Monday. Or, maybe go to Amazon and find a book…
.-= Jen~Beautiful Mess´s last blog ..Sex sells…you just won’t find me buying =-.
Thanks for this, Anne! I hope you have a great week.
My life wouldn’t be what it is, good and bad, without the trail of mistakes I’ve left behind me.
The good thing is that they’re behind me. They don’t define me.
But they sure have taught me alot. About me. And about our gracious God.
.-= Linda Stoll´s last blog ..The Control Freak’s Marriage =-.
Nice words thanxx…
Anne, you’re going to have to help me out a little bit here with Merton. While I can say his spirituality may be enticing, I would have strong issues with Merton promoting any sort of interfaith dialogue, the fact that he lived with Tibetan Buddhists for a period of time and has welcomed the teachings of the Dalai Lama into his own brand of spirituality. I am by no means a fundamentalist but I would have strong reservations concerning a man whose tolerance for any god as an acceptable relationship. Maybe I sound a bit naive but the first commandment tells us not to follow after other gods.
If you are willing to say that you are only following the teachings and not the god, then how long will it be until the god of the teachings displaces the teachings of truth? That is why God commanded Moses in Exodus 23:33, “Do not let them live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare to you.” Perhaps one day someone of a Canaanite spirituality will offer teachings of an equal appeal.
If neither of these two examples are enough, then ask yourself this question, “If it is conceivable to be lured in by the teachings of a false god, then how would such a feat be accomplished? Perhaps as an angel of light? Remember, in order to qualify as an angel of light, it must appear pretty darned close to the truth otherwise it would not be a deception nor an angel of “light”. It was Hitler who once said, “the magnitude of a lie always contains a certain factor of credibility since the great masses of people…more easily fall victim to a big lie than to a little one.” I do not wish to be quarrelsome or shaming but to apply the ointment of truth to a subject that is in desperate need of it. Thanks.
.-= Bryan´s last blog ..What is My Relationship to God? =-.
Thanks for the comment. I don’t talk theology discuss it or debate it or defend it on my blog. That’s a complex and personal part of my life saved for long talks with close friends only. Public forums for theology typically only polarize. Hope you understand.
I admire the fact that you “take off” the weekends. You should. Too many times we get caught up in today’s technology always being accessible or online. But don’t take off Mondays! Looking forward to the Merton posts…
.-= Connie Firmin´s last blog ..The Marathon =-.