Finding grit and faith through God's love

Do you ever feel like giving up? Or giving in?

Our pastor spoke last Sunday of having “grit.” I never thought I had much. But my life has surprised me. The Apostle Paul in the Bible seems made of full-on grit — that drive that keeps us forging through difficulty. “Keep on keeping on,” as we say.

Gritty Paul makes a statement that I wouldn't expect. He says, “...we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life. ...” Yet he goes on to say this was so he and the others with him “would not trust in ourselves, but in God. ...”

In order to have grit, I first have to have a rock. Grit is essentially rock under attack. Paul talks about, “He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us....” Setting my hope in God is my rock.

It is “good old summertime.” Life is supposed to get a little easier. But what if there is despair in this carefree season. What if my rock of faith comes under attack. Paul — this great hero of faith — has gone through despair, has gone through attack, and from the forge he says, “I have learned the secret....” Learned — it didn't just happen. He had to live it to find out.

The secret it turns out is, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Jesus is the grit giver. He lived a life of grit Himself. And His final take was, “Be of good cheer, or take courage. I have overcome the world.” Paul believed this. He penned, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Be anxious for nothing. The peace of God will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

My hope has got to come from beyond myself. This world — and all that was in it when it began — was perfect. This is what is forgotten when people start dissing God. Blaming Him for things gone wrong, attacking His nature. With that view, of course I am not going to hope in God — or want to look to Him for my strength — or anything else.

But He is a God of goodness and lovingkindness and beauty and joy and peace and faithfulness. I have to go back to the beginning — every time. Every time I despair, every time I lose my hope or every time I think I can't do whatever is in front of me — whatever has hold of me.

Jesus came to this world He created — to bring it, to bring us — back to the beginning. With the promise that in Him, all will be restored. What I see is not what I get. This is my grit. This is my hope. This is my secret — which is not a secret at all.

How can I hide a good and magnificent and faithful God. By Him I will “keep on keeping on.” And more than that I will be of good cheer. I will take courage. I will follow Him back to my beginning. 

Carol Shirk Knapp is the author of "The Preacher's Kid" column.