Gentlemen, This is a Football

 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14)

Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; (Exodus 34:6)

          The story I heard is that Guy Lombardi began each season by holding up a football, pointing to it, and saying, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” People talk about how he knew it was important to focus on the fundamentals, but they often don’t mention the first fundamental he speaks – and he may not have even realized it himself. The first thing he identifies is the people to whom he is speaking. They are “gentlemen.” Put aside complaints about sexism – he was talking to professional football players. Most people would not class football players as gentle anythings. Yes, it was probably just the cultural norms of the day, but I like it. It brings to mind the Narnia books, in which girls are “Daughters of Eve” and boys are “Sons of Adam.” It also brings to mind the writings of David Eddings (I think) in which a character tends to refer to people as “Friend.” It lifts us up, if just a little.

          In any case, Coach Lombardi gave his team two basics, whether he realized it or not. They were gentlemen, and the thing he was holding was a football. Last night, as I struggled to try to come up with just what bow the knee, get on my feet, and hit the ground running all mean for my goals, Bowing the knee requires dealing with things as they are. Getting on my feet means dealing with things as they are in an effective manner. Hitting the ground running means being able to both power through and outmaneuver. In every case, it involves returning to the basics. In many ways, then, it involves much of what I started doing in 2020, but perhaps in a more organized manner.

          There’s a scene in one of the Hunger Games books in which Katniss, having been manipulated and traumatized repeats, “My name is Katniss Everdeen. I am seventeen years old.” Those were the basics she could manage at the time. I don’t think I’m quite as traumatized as she, but before I get to “My name is Karen Keil. I am 58 years old.” There’s something even more basic.

          His name is God, and I AM WHO I AM, and The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth. He created the universe. He set the rules. And I need to go back to the basics of who He is, and what those rules are, and then apply them to me. This means that, just as with 2020, 2021 is going to be about the basics.

          I’ve been told that becoming an expert in something requires 2000 hours. That’s 250 days. If you take weekends off, that’s basically a year, at 8 hours per day. With so many areas of basics to master, I won’t be ending the year as an expert at anything. But I can certainly make progress on a number of fronts.

          So, I still don’t have specific goals written, but that’s the direction they’re going to take this year. Keep it simple, Silly (someone’s polite paraphrase) and keep it basic. That should keep me busy.