Finding a Gritty Example
Grit. The word conjures images of dusty cowboys enduring hardship out on the plains of the American west while protecting their cattle and preserving their way of life. Maybe the image comes easily because the long-awaited final episodes of the fan-favorite television series, Yellowstone, have begun to drop. In this series about life on a fictional ranch called The Yellowstone, John Dutton and his daughter Beth are committed to keeping their huge swathe of Montana land intact. Over the course of five seasons, they are challenged by enemies with competing interests who put obstacle after obstacle in their path, but they never give in and sell the land. Through the lens of the series, the Dutton family and their loyal cowboys are an apt image of “grit.”
The Dutton family have the passion and the perseverance to achieve long-term goals, which Angela Duckworth repeatedly states is the definition of “Grit.”[1] Even the complete title of Angela Duckworth’s book contains the definition, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Dr. Duckworth is a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania whose studies focus on “attributes which promote success in life.”[2] According to Duckworth, the most important predictor of success is the characteristic of grit.
The Duttons are fictional but Pastor Brett Fuller is a real and more inspiring example of grit, someone who has achieved ‘success’ by passion and perseverance. Fuller is the senior pastor of a multicultural, multigenerational, multisite church in the greater Washington DC area where he lives and lead to model of ethic reconciliation. This blog will note how his story as told in Dreaming and Black and White and relayed to DLGP03 in Washington DC in September 2024 embody the best of ‘grit’.
Perseverance
Fuller’s parents and grandparents set a generational example of perseverance by obtaining advanced professional degrees during the era of segregation and Jim Crow laws.[3] His own childhood was marked by being the only black family in a white suburban neighborhood. Fuller’s friendlessness, exclusion and the destruction of his mother’s car are just two examples of what the family endured in the face of white people’s fear. In the end, his father’s ingenuity by installing a backyard pool changed the relational situation.[4] The family persevered. Duckworth says one way to get gritty is by joining a gritty culture. You will work harder and get gritty faster when surrounded by people who accept those norms.[5] Pastor Fuller was raised in a gritty culture, became gritty, and is now developing grit in the leaders he mentors.
Passion
While speaking to DLGP03 at Washington DC in September Pastor Fuller said he doesn’t hire employees, but ‘inheritors’ of his vision for stewarding the city. Stewarding the city is the passion part ‘grit’ embodiment that I observed. He said that he doesn’t feel like just a local church pastor, but a steward of the city and that is what gets him up in the morning. Fuller referred to it as a burden which cannot be escaped. His passion is not about growing a bigger church, but about winning the city of Washington DC for Jesus.
Single Goal
Fuller shared what winning the city of Washington DC for Jesus looks like – his stated goal is to have a multiracial church working for reconciliation in every ward of the city. It is a specific overarching goal to which all the other ministry goals point. Per Duckworth, to be really gritty, a person needs to have a single top-level goal which united and aligns all other short-term projects and goals.[6] The ‘big’ goal unifies and aligns all other goals and decision making. Small short-term goals and medium sized midterm goals can be organized or eliminated according to whether or not they are propelling one toward the ultimate top-level goal which can be considered a “life philosophy”. [7] In his book Essentialism, Greg McKeown writes about having an essential intent. Having one essential intent, is the equivalent of making one big decision that knocks out the need to make 1,000 smaller decisions.[8]
Consistency
Passion and perseverance towards a single big goal inherently implies consistency over intensity. “High achievers often talk about commitment of a different kind. Rather than intensity, what comes up again and again in their remarks is the idea of consistency over time.”[9] As a young child, Fuller’s parents encouraged him to keep going back to school even when it was hard. They helped him endure the pain of being socially outcast. They also modeled creative problem solving and together they dealt with racist experiences in high school which led to greater understanding and respect among the white students.[10] Later, when helping lead a mostly white church Fuller encouraged black students to cross ethnic lines to create something new – reconciliation in the church. When asked to take over the church, in spite of better-looking opportunities elsewhere, Fuller stayed.[11] He had been consistently working for racial reconciliation since childhood, he didn’t stop as a young minister, and he is still showing grit by remaining consistently committed to this challenging practice.
Whether or not the Dutton family will be successful in their gritty quest to keep their land will be determined by the show’s writers. Either way, I have found a better example to follow.
[1] Angela Duckworth, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance (New York: Scribner, 2016), 56.
[2] Duckworth, Grit, 284.
[3] Brett Fuller, Dreaming in Black and White (BookBaby, 2021), 24.
[4] Fuller, Dreaming in Black and White, 33.
[5] Duckworth, Grit, 247.
[6] Duckworth, Grit, 66.
[7] Duckworth, Grit, 64.
[8] Greg McKeown, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less (New York: Random House, 2014), 126.
[9] Duckworth, Grit, 57.
[10] Fuller, Dreaming in Black and White, 41.
[11] Fuller, 52.
About the Author
Julie O'Hara
14 responses to “Finding a Gritty Example”
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Julie,
I have noticed your grit each time you share your great, insightful opinions. Bringing pastor Fuller into the conversation is a good example that we can all connect with. What is your single big goal that you are working towards right now?
Hi Adam, Thank you for your kindness and your question. I have been thinking about this – that Nazarene pastors in the USA/Canada Region will declare the gospel fearlessly (as they should.) see Eph. 6) Perhaps a good next step for me is to evaluate opportunities to say yes/no against whether or not they move this forward. I invite you to check back with me.
Hi Julie, When we went for a walk in DC I remember thinking how strong and brave you are when you shared some of your story. What encourages you to keep going in the midst of significant changes?
Hi Diane, The adjectives strong and brave surprised me. Thank you for your perspective. This may not be terribly healthy, but I tend to have a sense of urgency about accomplishing the maximum with the time I have left. I started living purposefully rather late and I want to make the most of it.
Thank you, Julie for reminding me about Fuller’s Presentation in DC. I like your example of grit and yes, it is a good example to follow. How are you comparing the ‘single goal’ to the one essential?
Hi Noel,
Thank you for your question. It is partly answered in my reply to Adam, but there is something in the word “essential” that colors things. Having a goal is worthy, but what makes it ‘essential’? That has been harder to discern. I would like to say that ‘essential’ entails eternal significance, but when I feel emotional about something I can become distracted.
Great example Julie, thanks. I’m wondering about your own experience with grit though. Where have you had to apply it in your own life and what has helped you do so?
Hi Debbie,
Thank you for this question. I have shown grit in getting an education. When I went to university in 1985 I was 17 years old. I had a VERY fixed-mindset mentality. Skipping details, I was dropped out after just a few semesters. Fast Forward to 2011 and a late in life call to vocation ministry…Since then a BA in Pastoral Ministry, MDiv and now this. Just the BA was more than enough to meet ordination requirements, but I have felt compelled, and I mean COMPELLED, to keep going as preparation for however God will use/is using my life and as a gift to the church. If my education serves others then the privilege is vastly multiplied. I keep grinding because I can and so many others cannot. Praying that what goes “in” comes “out” in ways that are useful and helpful to others.
Hey Julie! You are the epitome of GRIT! We are here! Thank you for the parallel to Fuller that was strong and I agree with your perspective. My question is has there ever been a time when your grit was low and how to you make the adjustment?
Hi Daren, thank you for your kind words and for your question. During most of 2022 it seemed like I didn’t have grit. I had been through a five month interview process for a ministry role I did not get. I was completely certain in my spirit that I was released from my then current position as executive pastor, but God had not shown me what was next. I guess I did have perseverance because I was able to keep giving it 100% while I waited, but I seemed to lack passion. What really kept me going was love. I deeply loved the people I served including the staff. Caring for them kept me showing up even when I felt adrift.
Hi Julie, I would like to echo everyone’s comments. You’ve got grit! You mention the Dutton family protecting their land, but I imagine you and your cats protecting your land in Oregon. I appreciate your thoughts concerning Brett Fuller and grit. I think of him often, as his life example moved me a lot. When reading your post, Hebrews 11:13 came to my mind. I believe grit is about seeing ‘the promise from a distance,’ and also making the most of every opportunity (Eph. 5:16). This season, I have struggled to ‘keep my eyes on the promise,’ which in turn impacts my ‘making the most of every opportunity.’ My question to you is similar to Daren’s. What do you do when something is off-balance (i.e., keeping your eyes on the promise and making the most of every opportunity)? How do you maintain your grittiness in times like these?
LOL – I don’t know about the land, but the cats fiercely guard all 232 sq ft of this trailer from spiders! Have I ever shared “feelings are real but they are not always true”? It used to be that I could get pretty spun up when things are off balance…perhaps a fixed mindset characteristic? It was as if the ‘feeling’ was going to be the permanent state of things. Now I am much better at remembering that feelings are temporary. Part of what helps is remembering God’s faithfulness, but I think remembering my own faithfulness might be helpful, too. If I’ve made it this far, why can’t I go just a little further?
Julie, I enjoyed your article and the references to the rugged cowboy lifestyle in ‘Yellowstone.’ You compare the Dutton family from ‘Yellowstone’ to Pastor Brett Fuller, highlighting their shared traits of grit, passion, perseverance, and commitment to long-term goals. Given the cultural and contextual differences between a fictional narrative and a real-life example, what lessons can we learn from Pastor Fuller’s journey that might not be evident in the portrayal of grit in fictional characters like the Duttons?
Hi Chad, that’s a thought provoking question. In a fictional narrative it’s all big event after big event after big event someone’s always getting blown up or shot at or kidnapped etc. In Pastor Fuller’s real life example there was the time he was called to become lead Pastor of the church he’d already been serving for nine years. I recall that he told the people he would do his best and need their help. It seemed like there was quite a time where nothing really happened. It was just the usual Sunday after Sunday, but nothing splashy. I’m sure all kinds of internal work was happening, but sometimes you just have to keep showing up even when there’s no drama, no big celebration, but be faithful in the small things. Maybe that’s what perseverance looks like sometimes in real life, not just pushing through major obstacles, but waking up showing up and going on day after day. Blessings as you serve and lead.