Is grit really ever a good thing? I wondered that this week
when I took a final sip of my coffee and inhaled a mouthful of grounds. I'm not talking about tough and rugged cowboy
grit. That is it’s own thing entirely! “Gritty” as an adjective usually doesn’t
describe lovely things. No, it usually describes sandpaper or other hardware
supplies...
From sanding down an old bookcase, to exfoliating
I’ve been in a “grit”
season for a while. For the last six months, my husband and I have set out on a
medical journey that has stretched and tested us like you wouldn’t believe. As
unsurities mount, so do my emotions and concerns. And if I’m being honest, so do the tensions.
It seems as if every day we are getting rubbed the wrong way – pain is
inflicted – a new struggle surfaces. Grit.
Did you know, the key ingredient in every pearl is dirt?
Dirt – grit – an irritant. That’s how the beautification
process begins. Then a process occurs that – over time – takes that annoyance
and makes something so beautiful that the grit is lost in the luster of the
gem.
Embracing something that is abrasive seems like a
contradiction. However, if you are facing a “gritty” season of life, you must!
To embrace means to accept or support willingly and
enthusiastically.
I will let that sink in for a moment. That challenge God has
allowed to come your way, the prayers that seem to go unanswered, the
relationship that hasn’t been restored, the missing finances, the diagnosis,
the wounds that are slow to heal… that’s grit. Grit that God asks us to embrace
with a voluntary and enthusiastic attitude.
It’s ok. I am really bad at it too! But, my brothers and
sisters in Christ! We must stop merely surviving what God has asked us to
decisively overcome. Romans 8:37 claims that we are “More than conquerors
through Christ Jesus.” I struggle to understand what it means to be more than a
conqueror… maybe it’s like demolishing the enemy – mercy rule type game. Whatever it is, it's fierce!
When grit enters our world, it is our opportunity to prove
the presence of God in our life – or to disprove it.
The world is watching closely as you deal with this grit. Where is your faith? Your
joy? Your peace? Your ministry? Did it get lost in the grit? Or is it still
there? Being polished. Being resurfaced. Being made into something better than
it would be on it’s own. Do others see what you're made of - the power and presence of Jesus Christ? Or, do the see you crumble and faint in the day of adversity?
I challenge you to be brave enough to believe God’s word
from Isaiah 43:19 that says, “Look! I am doing a new thing! See, I have already
begun. Do you not see it?” In order for something new to come to pass, the old
must be done away with. If God has
allowed a season of grit to rough you up, be flattered. He is sanding away the
old to prepare you for a fresh anointing, a fresh level of faith, a fresh hope
in His promises.
But, if we continue to live as victims, angry that God would
allow such a thing, the transformation we can expect to see won’t be a lasting
one. Any carpenter will tell you that in order for the stain to take on the old
bookshelf, the current stain must be stripped off and sanded down. If you skip
that painstaking step, expect a messy, flaky semi-finished product.
You and I are so much more than a semi-finished product. We are the apple of
God’s eye. Created in the image of Him. Fearfully and wonderfully made.
Equipped for every good work. Don’t settle – embrace the grit.
