Thomas Merton’s “Advance Backwards” Letter (1960)

On this day in 1960, Thomas Merton (1915–1968), an American Trappist monk and widely read spiritual writer, reflected in a letter on a counterintuitive work of grace. From the steady rhythm of monastic life, he confessed he could “depend less and lessen my own power and sense of direction,” amazed that it is “so strange to advance backwards” and still arrive where God intends. His words capture a distinctly Christian wisdom: God often strengthens His servants by teaching them to surrender what they would naturally grasp—control, certainty, and self-direction.

Merton’s “advance backwards” is not passivity or despair. It is the hard-won humility that learns to obey when outcomes are unclear, to persevere when the path feels like loss, and to trust that the Lord’s leading is wiser than our planning. Scripture repeatedly presents this pattern: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). The believer’s maturity is frequently forged not by self-assertion but by yielding to God’s providence, even when it overturns personal ambitions.

Abbey of Gethsemani (Kentucky)

Merton wrote from the Abbey of Gethsemani near Bardstown, Kentucky, a Trappist (Cistercian) monastery marked by silence, prayer, and manual labor. Such places stand as quiet witnesses that true strength can be hidden—heroism expressed not in public applause but in daily faithfulness. The monastery’s disciplined life illustrates that obedience is not an interruption of spiritual growth; it is often the very means of it. In an age that prizes constant self-expression, the abbey’s ordered stillness testifies that the soul can be steadied by worship, restraint, and repentance.

Surrender as Christian Formation

Merton’s insight aligns with the Lord’s pattern in Scripture: God shapes His people by weakening pride and deepening dependence. “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). The “unexpected path” is frequently God’s mercy, protecting His servants from self-reliance and leading them into gentler, truer obedience. In this way, what feels like stepping backward may be the Lord clearing space for faith, patience, and love—so that the destination is not merely success, but holiness.