Grit!  It’s a word that almost sounds like what it means.

Determination.  Perseverance.

Enduring short term pain to achieve long-term gain.

In April 2013, Dr. Angela Duckworth gave a TED Talk on “grit.” In conducting her research to identify which character traits are the best predictors of whether a person will be successful academically or professionally, she discovered that a high IQ was not necessarily the leading indicator.  Whether her test subjects were successful teachers, doctors, Marines, or business people, the common factor wasn’t a high IQ, but instead what she termed “grit.”  These test subjects demonstrated determination and perseverance; they were willing to endure short term pain to achieve long-term gain; they stayed the course even when they faced great challenges or adversity.

As I listened to this TED Talk, I couldn’t help but reflect on how Jesus demonstrated great “grit.” To endure the Cross―to become our sin and pay the penalty of death that we owe because of sin―that took grit. We see great perseverance and determination in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he chose the Father’s will rather than his will. We see his willingness to endure the short term pain of the Cross to achieve the long-term, eternal gain of making a way of salvation for all of mankind. But how did he do it? Where did that “grittiness” come from?

He had the grit to endure the present pain of the Cross, because he kept his focus on the future joy of being reunited with God the Father in a place of honor.

Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. (Heb. 12:2b NLT)

He had the grit to stay the course, because he knew his death would secure for eternity the salvation of all who would believe in him as their Savior.  Jesus had “grit,” and it is a trait we are to possess as well. The Apostle Paul put it this way:

And let us run with perseverance (or let’s say “grit”) the race marked out for us. (Heb. 12:1 NIV)

How do we this?

Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we are in. Study how he did it.(Heb. 12:2 MSG)

Like Jesus, we must keep our focus on our eternal destination instead of our present location! The Apostle Paul would encourage us to keep our “eyes on the prize”―spending eternity in the presence of our Lord. For no matter the difficulties we may face in in the present, they are short-term in comparison to eternity.  Certainly when you are in a storm, it’s hard to be gritty. But Jesus has given us a gift, His Holy Spirit, to encourage and empower us so we can persevere, so we can be “gritty,” never losing sight of our future gain―eternity with our Savior.

Jesus’ ministry was gaining momentum.  Word of his powerful teaching and miraculous healings stirred the hearts of the people.  They followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, from Jerusalem, Judea and the Jordan region.  As a great crowd gathered, Jesus climbed up the side of the mountain, sat down and began to teach them.  They listened in amazement as he taught what we now call the Beatitudes―the attitudes that bring blessing into our lives.  He taught about loving our enemies, giving to the needy, and how we should store up treasures in heaven.  But toward the end of that sermon, Jesus provides us with a valuable instruction concerning prayer:

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matt. 7:7-8 NIV)

Jesus gives us permission, even encouragement to be persistent when we pray―to keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. But why does the Father value persistence in our praying?  I certainly don’t have all the answers. But this relationship between asking and persistence does remind me of one of the favorite things my grandchildren love to do as Christmas approaches. With great anticipation they await the arrival of toy flyers in the mail. As they peruse each one, they circle at least two or three things on every page, certain that they want everything that has been circled. And then they begin asking. But what I notice as Christmas draws closer, their persistent requests are narrowed down to just a few key toys, revealing to their parents what they truly “need” to receive.

The same seems to be true with my asking. Persistence tends to filter out my needs from my wants, my requests that are critical from those that are not. Perhaps this aspect of persistence in prayer is more for our benefit than for His? Your thoughts?

Their plot was devious—motivated by jealousy.

Daniel had gained the favor of King Darius and was about to be promoted as the top ruler, second only to the king. Unable to find any legitimate means to undermine Daniel’s influence,  the court officials conceived a foolproof plot.

They knew Daniel’s faith in his God was unflinching, unshakeable. They knew his great devotion of worship and prayer to the Lord God. And, this was where they perceived his weakness was—this unwavering devotion to his God. So they manipulated the king to sign an irrevocable death decree. Anyone who failed to worship the king and worship only him for 30 days would be thrown into the lions’ den to be devoured.

But when Daniel learned of the decree, he continued to do what he always did. He prayed! He knew it was a death sentence, but still he prayed. He knew he would be thrown into the lions’ den, a death decree even the king himself could not revoke, yet he still prayed.

His adversaries, believing they had set the perfect trap, found him as they expected—praying.  With masked delight, they apprehended him and took him to the king for the decree to be carried out.  With great reluctance, the king, knowing he had no choice but to enforce the irrevocable decree, ordered Daniel to be thrown into the lions’ den.

There was no last minute reprieve.

No sudden miracle of deliverance.

Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den!

If you had never read the account of Daniel’s life before, certainly it would be at this point you would have expected God to have stepped in with a miracle.  After all, Daniel had been faithful, he had refused to worship anyone except the Lord God.  So why didn’t God spare Daniel from being thrown the lions’ den? Why not spare him from such a fearful experience?

Because God had a greater miracle in store.  He would shut the lion’s mouth!  The greater miracle was keeping Daniel safe while he was in the lion’s den.  It was this miracle that became a convincing testimony to the king to the existence and power of the Lord.

Sometime we wonder why God doesn’t spare us from a Lion’s Den experience.  Perhaps like Daniel, God wants to do the greater miracle that becomes the greater testimony of His power and grace in our lives today.  Always remember, He still has the power to shut the lion’s mouth!

Standing in line at the post office, my eye caught sight of an elderly woman.  Her long, straight gray hair tied back neatly in a ponytail, exposing beautiful pearl earrings.  You don’t see many women wearing pearls these days and certainly not pearls that were so rich in color and iridescence.

Whether her pearls were natural or cultured by man’s intervention, what is interesting is that all pearls are a product of an irritation.

When an irritant enters the shell of an oyster, the soft tissue of the oyster releases layer after layer of a material called “nacre,” surrounding the irritant and in the process producing a beautiful, iridescent pearl.

From an irritant comes something of great beauty and value.  Himm!

Sometimes we wonder why God allows irritants to enter our lives.  We want God to remove them, right?  But perhaps God wants us to make a pearl!

He wants us to release some spiritual “nacre” – acts of loving kindness around that irritant, layer after layer after layer.   Got an “irritant” in your life?  It’s an opportunity to create a pearl!