The Glory of Grit

One of the definitions of grit is courage and resolve. It is fierce determination to not give up or give in when adversity hits. It is resolve to keep plodding, to keep taking the next step, to keep pushing forward one inch at a time if necessary to get the job done. 

There is a glory to be learned in that. A glory for showing up to work each day even when you are tired and don't feel like working. There is a glory in the grit of the athlete who pushes past pain and to give heroic effort. There is a glory in the wife who cooks, cleans, runs errands, and raises children. Some wives do all that and work a full time job also. There is a grit in the worker who works in a less than glamorous position, is often overlooked, underpaid, and underappreciated. There is a glory in the teacher who shows up everyday hoping at least some of the students get the material taught and actually learn. There is a glory in the preacher who preaches in the backwoods to a small congregation, but preaches like he is addressing an audience of a thousand. 

Grit can be applied in every facet of life. Grit does not get much attention. Glory goes to the people in the spotlight, the ones who draw attention to themselves, the ones who brag about their accomplishments. They have exceptional talent. They coast through life, because they can get by with less effort than most people. They will get the promotions, the large raises, and all the credit for organizational success. 

The grinders who work with grit seldom get noticed. They rarely get promoted. They are not handsomely rewarded with lavish salary packages. Still they get the jobs done. No matter how difficult the task they grit it out. They finish the project. They go in early and stay late. They do more behind the scenes than most people know because they do not try to get the credit for their work. 

I tip my hat to the gritty people who make our world work. They collect the waste from our homes. They build our roads, construct our homes, grow our food, raise our meat, repair our vehicles, clean our offices, serve the tables at the establishments where we eat, and treat our wounds. These people have to deal with ungrateful patrons, unreasonable demands, low wages, and demanding bosses. Like clockwork, they show up on time, they do the tasks others avoid, and they are servants who rarely get the credit they deserve. Such people are to be commended. There is a glory in that. 

A glory all of us can learn. We all need some grit. The courage to give great effort even when nobody notices. The resolve to work hard to get tasks accomplished. To refuse to quit until the job is done. People who will bow their necks, roll up their sleeves, and knuckle down. There is a glory in this. It is a trait to be celebrated. A trait to be desired. Thank you to all of you gritty people. You make this world a better place. 

Serenity in Suffering

 A common plight of all people is suffering. Suffering comes in different ways. Defined suffering is undergoing pain, distress, or hardship. Suffering is woven in the lives of characters throughout the pages of scripture. Once sin entered the world through the original sin of Adam and Eve, suffering has impacted every generation. 

We are often lulled to sleep by times of personal peace and prosperity. When everything is going like we want it to go, we feel immune from suffering. We may hear about it in others. We may even see it in people we know. We make notes to ourselves to do everything possible to insulate ourselves from having to endure those same hardships. 

People work out incessantly to protect their health. I knew a man who rode a bicycle 20 miles everyday. That same man had a heart attack. I've known others who were extremely careful and strict about their diet. They got cancer. Others work insanely to make more money. They think financial security will protect them from suffering. Some of those same people lost everything in bad investments. I've seen godly parents protect their children from bad influences. They taught their children right from wrong, poured scripture into them, as well as prayed over them and with them. Some of those same children rebelled choosing sin breaking the hearts of the parents. People living in war torn areas once lived in peace. Now, they live with the reality that one bomb could destroy not only their property but also their very lives. They struggle through each day trying to survive and keep their loved ones protected. There are Christians who are persecuted all over the world. They are tortured for turning to Jesus. Their families are harassed. Yet they endure the suffering stoically. 

I prayed for a virtuous woman and her family this morning battling breast cancer. She lies in a hospital recovering from a major surgery to remove the cancer weary, but stalwart in faith. I don't understand the reasons one who loves Jesus so much had to suffer so excruciatingly. Months of grueling pain, treatments, surgeries, dashed hopes, and now trying to recover from surgery. She is still strong in the faith. 

A worship minister and song writer I met years ago lost his wife this past year to cancer. He begged his family and friends to pray for healing. God ultimately chose to heal her in heaven leaving him alone with four children to press on without her. He is wrecked. He is now a widower like so many before him. He sleeps in an empty bed on one side. There is an empty place setting at the table. A closet full of clothes remind him of his loss. 

We lost Brenda's mom on April 16th of this year. She died the same day men from Fritch were loading the moving truck to make our transition to a new church and community. Brenda made Christmas ornaments with pictures of her mom on them and sent one each to her two sisters. She talked on the phone to one of those sisters last night as she opened hers while they talked breaking down in tears. Our family is not the only one to have suffered loss this past year. Many people died. Grieving loved ones suffer through this holiday season. It will not be the same. Memories can never replace the person. Pictures can never replace the person. Grief brings a suffering that can last for years and ache in the heart that cannot be put into words. The grief comes in waves. A person may be doing fine one moment, and without warning a song, a picture, a memory, or memento may trigger the tears to cascade. 

So many people suffer financial hardships. Some do so just because times are tough. Prices keep increasing while wages do not always keep pace. Some suffer from poor financial choices of charging credit cards creating more debt. Sooner or later the bills come due and stress along with them. Living under financial suffering is suffocating. Every day people scrap to survive. They try to stretch the dollar as much as they can, but at the end of the day there just isn't enough to cover necessary expenses. 

Things are even worse for those living on fixed incomes who worry each month if they will have enough to survive. They go without needed expensive medications because they can no longer afford them. They eat cheaply on things like toast, crackers, and a luxury meal might be cereal or a frozen dinner. Nobody knows their suffering. They hide it from family and friends preferring to suffer silently than to sound alarms for help. 

There is a serenity that can be found in suffering. See Jesus suffering in agony in the garden praying that the cup of crucifixion might pass. He found serenity in surrendering to the will of His Father. Recall the sufferings of Joseph in Genesis. He found serenity in being faithful wherever he was planted even in prison. Even when wrongly imprisoned, he remained faithful surrendering to God.  Paul suffered for serving Jesus. He could still write that he rejoiced and learned the secret of contentment. That secret was surrendering to the will of God. 

When I prayed this morning, the thoughts of my minor sufferings were frustrating me. That is until God brought revelation to my mind. In each trial I face, I know He has the answers. The thought soaked into my soul that instead of striving with God, instead of becoming more impatient and frustrated, I need to surrender. To submit to His will no matter what it is. To resign myself to accept both His denials and delays in answering prayers. An amazing thing occurred as I adopted that new attitude. Peace permeated my soul. Joy replaced jadedness. Hope engulfed my mind that God is good and knows what is best. None of my sufferings changed. Each one is still prominent. Serenity came when I surrendered it all to God. Just like Ps 55:22 and Phil 4:6-7 command us to do. I trust that can happen for you too as you surrender to His will in suffering. 

Mount Up Like Eagles

 Nobody can control every circumstance in life. Adversities come. Storms slam against us. Pain is universal to all people. While we cannot control these things, we can learn to cope with them. One of the verses that helps me to cope is Is 40:31. I especially love the phrase that those who wait on the LORD will mount up on wings like eagles. 

Eagles are one of my two favorite animals. I once sat on a ranch and had a view of an eagle perched high on a tree limb looking over a lake. I watched that eagle in fascination for well over an hour. I noticed he did not fly in a flock. He sat alone. Other birds flew all around him. He never stooped to their level. He sat majestically on his perch just watching. He was content to be who God created him to be and not a follower of other feathered fowl. What a great lesson for all of us. 

About an hour into watching I witnessed a magnificent sight. The eagle flapped his wings lifting from the perch and soared to the water surface. With skillful precision he reached his talons into the water and snatched a fish. With is prey in hand, he soared off into the distance out of sight. A reminder that God is our provider. There are times we have to wait for His provision like the eagle waited for His catch. God will provide in His way and in His time. 

I went home and studied about eagles after that. Did you know that eagles mate for life? Another lesson for us to be committed to covenant marriage. We are not look and long for what is not lawfully and not covenantly our spouses.  

The fact that fascinated me the most is when an eagle sees a storm approaching they soar high above the storm unphased by the torrential rains and winds. We are exhorted to mount on wings like an eagle as we wait on God's help and endurance whatever we are facing. While we live on this side of heaven, that does not mean we can't gain strength and comfort by what awaits us after and above the storms of life. 

Too often we get caught up in the storms of life. We think they will never end. From the eagle's vantage point, they see the storm's beginning and ending. They understand that the storms will not last forever. So they soar until they blow over. We need to do the same thing in prayer. Soar above our circumstances spiritually until days of calm and peace return. We do this in prayer and by tenaciously clinging to the word of God to anchor our souls. 

Tough times do not last forever. Storms do pass. This is something to be remembered when life is chaotic and people start reacting to life in chaotic ways. I remember that eagle firmly perched unphased by whatever other bird did. Just because people choose to live in fear and anxiety when adversities come does not mean we have to follow suit. We can live with a peace that surpasses all understanding. 

God created us in His image. We are people of faith. Jesus slept in a storm while the disciples panicked. We can go through storms and soar above them in spirit. Through faith in an all powerful God who never grows weary nor ever frets, in the tough times we can endure. We are in His hands. We can rest easy t hat He is still in control. I am not suggesting all these times will easy smooth sailing. We may be tested severely. It is in those times that our faith is strengthened and God shows Himself faithful.  He strengthened us through difficult times in the past. He will do the same thing currently as well as in the future. May He enable us to mount up with wings and soar above trials and tribulations with peace. 

Regret and Repentance

 Have you ever lived in regret? You acted or reacted in a way you wish you could take back. If you could relive that moment, you would do things differently. Make different choices. Sadly, nobody can go back undo past mistakes. No matter how much we may relive those moments in our minds, we cannot undo the past. 

All we can do is repent. To agree with God about mistakes, poor choices, and our sin. It is a sobering thing to look at yourself in the mirror of God's word and admit your guilt. No amount of beating yourself up will change anything. No matter how much you wish you would have acted differently can change the end results. There are consequences for actions. We hurt God, ourselves, and those around us. We have to face the facts like King David did in Psalm 51. The whole Psalm is one of repentance for committing adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband killed. You can fill the pain, sorrow, and anguish as David repents. 

Repentance is not a word used frequently by most people. It needs to be. It's one thing to live in regret. It is a whole other thing to live in repentance. Regret should lead to repentance. Why repent? Repentance is ultimately redemptive. Repentance is taking responsibility for our own guilt. Repentance is accepting the consequences of our choices. The redemptive part of forgiveness is receiving the forgiveness and restoration from God we do not deserve. God forgives our sin. Ps 103:8-12  I Jn 1:9  Redemption is about God dealing with us in grace as opposed to justice, or what we deserve. 

Regret is condemning. Repentance is painful. Redemption is healing. Regret alone will only heap more guilt on us. Repentance may not be pleasant, but it leads us to cleansing with God. Redemption restores our fellowship with God. 

It is a waste of time living in the muck and mire of regret. Wishing you had said yes when you said no, or vice versa. It does not help our cause when we constantly live in the past missing out on what God has for us next. If God wiped His hands of guilty sinners, He never would have used David, Peter, Saul, and millions of others. Repentance is constantly clearing our sin debt through the shed blood and grace of Jesus. Repentance is living with an undefiled heart. Repentance comes from the kindness of God who leads us to turn from our evil ways and seek His forgiveness. Romans 2:4 Thank God for regret that leads to repentance.