How’s your Grit for God?
Reading Angela Duckworth’s book Grit: The Power and Passion and Perseverance reminded me of a bike ride I took this past summer.[1] It was a two-day 132-mile ride on a 71-mile crushed gravel trail in West Virginia that parallels U.S. Route 50. This was a trail that my wife and I began several years ago but did not finish. It had been a goal of mine to go back and complete the ride. I was alone, pulling a bike trailer with food and camping gear. Unfortunately, due to road construction where the
trail went under U.S. 50, I was unable to complete the trail. I rode a total of ninety-three miles that day, leaving thirty-nine miles for the second day. After a sleepless night, due to a broken air mattress, and with twenty-four miles to go, I experienced a flat tire. While I had a spare tube, I discovered it did not fit the bike I had recently purchased; the hole in the wheel was not drilled to fit a Schrader valve, only a narrower Presta valve. For the final twenty-four miles I had to stop every mile or two and use my small hand pump to re-inflate my tire. This was exhausting and part of me wanted to quit. I remember telling myself that this was a good lesson in enduring difficult circumstances that needed perseverance to finish thinking that it might represent the final two years of the doctoral program. I did not realize that I was exhibiting grit. What is grit? Grit, Duckworth explains, is a “combination of passion and perseverance.”[2] For me I found it to be the missing piece to Carol Dweck’s Mindset book, as I felt a person’s mindset alone did not explain everything.[3]
In discussing the various components of grit Duckworth discusses purpose which is the focus of this post. She writes that “most gritty people see their ultimate aims as deeply connected to the world beyond themselves.”[4] Duckworth talks about a person’s work being their calling versus a job or career. Those who see their work as a calling tend to be grittier people. Our calling might even be what James Smith refers to as our telos, which is “what we want, what we long for, what we crave.[5] As Christians our calling or telos is “to make God’s kingdom ‘come’ so that it may be ‘on earth as it is in heaven’”[6]
When I think of some of the grittiest people, I think of the stories of people in the Bible, each one had a calling from God, which gave them purpose. In their book Living Vocationally: The Journey of the Called life Paul Wadell and Charles Pinches discus the calling of four people from the Bible, Jeremiah, Moses, Isaiah, and Paul[7] Think about what each of these individuals endured to fulfill their calling, consider how much grit they possessed and whether you possess that much grit. I am going to expand on Jeremiah and Paul.
The introduction to the book of Jeremiah in the Life Application Bible says this about Jeremiah “He was thrown into prison (chapter 37) and into a cistern (chapter 38) and he was taken to Egypt against his will (chapter 43). He was rejected by his neighbors (11:19-21), his family (12:6), the false priests and prophets (20:1, 2; 28:1-17), friends (20:10), his audience (26:8), and the kings (36:23)”[8] Despite all of this, Jeremiah fulfilled his calling for 40 years.
In the book of II Corinthians, Paul delivers his grit resume. Paul speaking about himself wrote:
“Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.”[9]
Despite all of this, Paul continues to preach the gospel or makes arrangements for it to be carried out.
Reading about these and others in the Bible, makes the inconvenience of a flat bike tire seem like a walk in the park. What provided these individuals the grit necessary to fulfill their calling? I believe it was hope. Duckworth writes “One kind of hope is the expectation that tomorrow will be better than today.[10] The author of Hebrews begins Chapter 11 by saying “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.”[11] Those listed in Hebrews 11 and many others possessed grit that enabled them to fulfill their calling; not just because they cared about their audiences but because they truly had hope, hope that God would deliver his people. As a Chirstian leader do you possess a calling that gives you purpose and the hope that God will make things better? Do you have the grit necessary to fulfill your calling?
[1] Angela Duckworth, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, (New York, NY, Scribner,2018)
[2] Duckworth, 8.
[3] Carol Dweck, Mindset: Changing the Way You Think to Fulfil Your Potential, (Great Britian: Robinson, 2017); No surprise, Duckworth summarizes Dweck’s growth mindset in her chapter on Hope. Like mindset, the concept of grit is one that you cannot unsee.
[4] Duckworth, 148.
[5] James. K. A. Smith, You are What You Love, (Ada, MI: Brazos, 2016).
[6] N. T. Wright, & Michael Bird, Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2024), 151.
[7] Paul J. Wadell and Charles R. Pinches, Living Vocationally: The Journey of the Called life, Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2021.
[8] Bruce Barton (editor), Life Application Bible: New International Version, (Wheaton, IL, Tyndale, 1991), 1283)
[9] 2 Corinthian 12; Image is from an Unknown English Artist, St. Paul and the Viper, c1180, mural, The Visual Commentary on Scripture, https://thevcs.org/paul-malta.
[10] Duckworth, 169.
[11] Hebrews 11:1-2 (NIV).
About the Author
Jeff Styer
Jeff Styer lives in Northeast Ohio's Amish Country. He has degrees in Social Work and Psychology and currently works as a professor of social work at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Jeff is married to his wife, Veronica, 25+ years. Together they have 4 beautiful children (to be honest, Jeff has 4 kids, Veronica says she is raising 5). Jeff loves the outdoors, including biking, hiking, camping, birding, and recently picked up disc golf.10 responses to “How’s your Grit for God?”
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Thanks so much Jeff. How does hope, as described in Hebrews 11, influence your approach to overcoming obstacles in your leadership journey?
Glyn,
I think of what each of the persons described in Hebrews 11 endured. I understand that their driving force was hoping in a Godly future they knew they would not see. But they did it for God and for the future generations. Teaching isn’t always easy; we are dealing with a lot of AI issues right now. But when I stand in front of social work students and talk about the many problems in society, I have hope that those in front of me will carry on the fight, advocating for the marginalized, loving their neighbor. This hope keeps me coming back to the classroom each week
Jeff, I completely agree that Christians need grit, and in particular Christian leaders need to model grit. What are the most challenging aspects of vocational Christian leadership that require grit?
Graham, thanks for the question.
I’ve heard that one challenging aspect requiring grit for a vocational pastor is spending the time preparing and giving a message knowing that your message very likely will get drowned out by other, often opposing, voices throughout the week.
For others, such as the social workers that I train, continuous advocating takes Grit. It can take years to get policy changed and many times what gets passed is just a start of what you really want.
Interestingly, I just found out that the Equality Act that Shirley Hoogstra talked to us about in DC when discussing bridge building actually never made it to the president’s desk. It was reintroduced in 2023 but will likely “die” again since I doubt anything will happen between now and December 31 in Congress. With continual setbacks it takes grit to continue the fight for any cause in which Christians feel called to engage.
Hi Jeff, You were right this morning. Thanks for your perspective. How do you find Paul and Jeremiah’s experience with grit inspiring you beyond the broken wheel?
Diane,
My wife and I talked about this. Several characters in the Bible had visions or heard the Lord directly speak to them which may explain their level of faith which may have impacted their level of Grit. But to endure what they did over the time period they experienced it inspires me to be okay being uncomfortable. I’m learning to be okay if people don’t like me for my views, my passion for the marginalized, my passion for loving God.
Hi Jeff, thank you for sharing your personal story.
In reading Grit, what inspired you the most and why?
Shela,
Great question. I think reading the chapter on Parenting for Grit and purpose inspired me the most. I read these and reflected on my kids and how my wife and I have raised them. While we are not perfect parents, I am very happy with the grit that my kids express as they navigated their teen and now early adult years. I also very happy with the relationship that we have with our kids and that they have with each other. I believe we have engaged in “Wise Parenting”
Hi Jeff, Thanks for your post. I cringe thinking about pumping up a bike tire every mile or so! It is a great practical example of grit. As a teacher, I am curious about what aspect(s) of grit your students need special care or attention to cultivate in their lives?
Kari,
it wasn’t exactly fun. Practice is one area that students need help with. We have a class for our first-year students Discipleship of the Chrisitan Mind. In this class we cover 6 different habits that we want students to cultivate, Thinking, Reading, Study, Intellectual Hospitality, Intellectual Honesty, and Attention. In order to develop these habits, students need to change some of their current practices. We know that breaking existing habits is difficult and so is getting into the routine of doing something hard and not necessarily enjoyable.