Over the last year, I’ve become an avid fan of the Apple TV show, Ted Lasso. For those of you who aren’t familiar, the premise of the show is that Ted Lasso, an American football coach, is hired to coach a Premier League football team in England. The show follows his relationship with fellow coaches, players, and community members as they strive towards AFC Richmond’s success. Of course there are many hiccups, one of which is that Ted knows nothing about this type of football. Without spoiling too much, his Midwestern charm and genuine kindness makes it hard for the community to not like him, despite his lack of football knowledge.
As I await my preclearance approval, Ted Lasso’s approach to his new, albeit crazy, journey as a manager of AFC Richmond has resonated with me far more than I could have imagined. With this unexpected extra time in the United States, I have been able to more deeply reflect on what the upcoming year will hold, and in these reflections, my mind keeps going back to Ted. He travelled halfway across the world to coach a sport he knew nothing about. Why? There’s a more complex answer that will only come from watching the show in its entirety, and I can’t spoil it all (a shameless plug to watch the show). One of the reasons he takes this job is not because of his plethora of knowledge specific to football, but rather because of his ability to help his players “be the best versions of themselves on and off the field,” he says. He knows his strengths, and he quickly learns how to rely on others to fill his weaknesses.
The beauty of House of Brigid, and of life as a whole, is that each of us will bring to the table a unique combination of gifts. Some the gift of music, others the gift of wisdom or administration. Alone, we are each but a piece of stained glass. Together, however, we become a beautiful mosaic that can inspire our communities to live their best faith life inside and beyond the walls of the Church. This dependence can be scary – it requires internal reflection of your own spiritual inventory, and it requires trust in God and in others to bring their gifts to fill your weaknesses. Much like Ted, I will have my own struggles and weaknesses in the service year, but much like Ted, I hope to lean on the spiritual gifts of those around me to cultivate a thriving faith community.
There is one quote from Ted Lasso that I keep returning to when I start to fear the unknown challenges that will inevitably occur during my year serving House of Brigid. When Ted is first flying to England, he says:
Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse. If you’re comfortable while you’re doin’ it, you’re probably doing it wrong.
Taking on new challenges, venturing into a new stage of life full of unknowns, these are not meant to be easy. But when my internal panics and doubts start to creep in, I lean into the discomfort with the knowledge that God does not falter.
I shall lead the blind by a road they do not know, by paths they do not know I shall conduct them. I shall turn the darkness into light before them and the quagmires into solid ground. This I shall do — without fail. – Isaiah 42:16
The strongest faith is cultivated in the deepest unknowns. Without fail.
Blessed am I to have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to embark on a road I do not know, surrounded by fellow Christians as we are challenged to create a mosaic with our unique spiritual gifts, all under the guidance of a God who knows all. St. Brigid, Pray for Us.
