Morgan Scalley, the defensive coordinator and safeties coach for the University of Utah football team, recently shared a fascinating insight about repentance on the All In podcast.
“In German, the term for repentance, umkehren, is the same word the Germans use for ‘U-turn,’” he says. “And I love that.”
This striking visual not only affects how Scalley lives but also how he coaches his team.
The Powerful Vulnerability of a U-Turn
Scalley looks to the example of Nephi, who, in the midst of his trials, says, “My heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.”
“Nephi turns to God in his weakness, not away,” Scalley says. “That [principle of vulnerability is] what we try to teach our players.”
Regardless of what the members of his team struggle with, whether it be marijuana or pornography, Scalley encourages them to be vulnerable and seek help.
“If we’re able to talk about [the problem] and be vulnerable and attack the problem, that’s how we get better from it—not from shame and hiding from it and turning away from it,” Scalley shares. “We’ve got such brave, vulnerable men on this team that have been willing to stand up and … [say,] ‘I have a problem with this, Coach. Can you help me with this?’ And we get them with the right people.”
Though facing their problems head-on undoubtedly helps Scalley’s players improve at football, Scalley knows that this mindset will serve them for the rest of their lives.
“If the only skillsets we teach are how to become a better football player, we’re failing these young men,” Scalley says. “It’s so important for them to know it’s OK to make mistakes. You’re gonna make mistakes. Let those mistakes teach you.”
A U-Turn Can Take Time
Scalley acknowledges that solving problems and strengthening our weaknesses isn’t always a quick process.
“Building a skill takes time and effort, whatever that skill is,” Scalley says. “You have to be willing to invest the time and be tenaciously persistent. I understand that discomfort is part of the process, but if I avoid discomfort, I prevent learning.”
Alma similarly counseled that “by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.”
By making small daily U-turns, we grow closer to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. It’s these vulnerable and persistent efforts to change that eventually allow us to joyfully reunite with Them, “face to face.”
Hear more from Morgan Scalley on the full All In episode, which is available on all major podcast streaming platforms.
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