Benches seem to play an important role in the life of a boy, whether he is 5 or 85.
A five-year-old doesn’t really consider that a good bench can be made from stone, or metal, or wood, or even hard plastic. What he knows is that the bench is hard and slick, making it a challenge to successfully assume the correct sitting position.
And while he may, through grit, ingenuity and determination, scale said bench, he will often be best served by the appropriate assistance of another male in making his victorious ascent.
In just a few years the bench may be moving, as in the back of the school bus on the run between home and school. It will be on this bench that the concept of a trustworthy friend will become tangible to him.
As his schooling progresses, he is likely to experience other more specifically purposed benches in the realm of sports, music or perhaps science. It will be here that he learns that we are all gifted in different ways. Hopefully, he will grasp that it’s only when everyone pulls together in the same direction that the most progress occurs.
His next bench will at the time seem to be the most important bench of his lifetime. It could be in an auto repair shop, a courtroom, the lab or maybe a gym. He will spend a great deal of time at this bench and success or failure here will have a deep impact on his life.
Later if he is fortunate, he’ll find the time to just ‘be’ on a bench. He can enjoy the company of another male with no overriding ‘greater’ purpose.
Dave Peterson and I found ourselves together on a ‘bench’ in Gary Wood’s CCNI Mastermind group. It was during one of those meetings that Dave shared personally in a way that gave me the courage to share personally from a current life challenge.
Over the following months, we ministered to each other in ways that came naturally to the one sharing, while being revelatory to the other. (Not too surprising that a Meyers Briggs INFP could see things an ESTJ was oblivious to, eh?)
We both grew personally and professionally as a result of the relationship, so when we were asked to co-lead a CCNI group for male Christian coaches, personal and professional growth became the cornerstones of the group.
Where better to facilitate growth in these realms for male Christian coaches than ‘The Bench’!
Thomas Kenyon, CPLC
About the Author
Thomas is like many of those who meet at The Bench monthly in that he has had a highly varied career path including stints as a sports writer, small business owner and independent personal insurance broker before moving into professional coaching services. If you have any questions, he can be reached at thomas@real-lifecoaching.com.
‘The Bench’ meets at 2 PM EST on the second Friday of each month for one hour. All male Christian coaches are invited to come and sit a spell. See the CCNI calendar to register for the next meeting.
