To my friend facing the impossible,
Grit. Resilience. Tenacity. Endurance. Resolve. Call it what you want. We all want it. They all sound like the same thing, yet these are slightly different aspects of something we all desire: the ability to keep going in the face of adversity.
You’ve lived long enough to know that life itself is filled with hardship, illness, difficulty, and adversity. Sure, life is comfortable for some of us, but more than not, comfortability is a mirage, an illusion, or maybe a season. We might be comfortable for a season, but rarely does the comfortable life last.
Truly, there is no living without hardship. No year without sickness. No project without difficulty. And no dreams achieved without adversity. At the end of the day, anything worth doing will face stress-inducing difficulty that you must overcome.
Here’s the thing. Some of us feel like we have what it takes in ourselves to overcome. Others know that we do not have what it takes in ourselves to overcome. And a lot of us just “fake it till we make it.”
If, like me, you realize that life throws more at you than you have the strength to overcome, I want to show you how our imperfect faith in Jesus helps us build grit and resilience.
Simply put, grit is determination, a firmness of character that will not give up. On the other hand, resilience is the ability to bounce back, to recover and go forward no what adversity you face. Neither of those words describe who I am on my own.
The Bible points us to admit our fragility and look to Jesus.
2 Corinthians 12:9–10 (NIV)
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Galatians 6:9 (NIV)
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Philippians 4:13 (NIV)
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Hebrews 12:1–3 (NIV)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
The Bible not only implies but clearly states that you and I will feel weak, lose heart, grow weary, and struggle to persevere.
To be honest, what we want is to not feel weak, not lose heart, and not grow weary. We turn to Jesus wanting Jesus to make us “feel strong.” Can we be honest with each other? I almost never feel strong when I’m relying on Jesus for strength. Why? Because my human nature is to depend upon myself alone when I “feel strong.” That’s the comfortability thing.
Unfortunately, there’s a lot of shame, in our culture and even in the church, about weakness. Our world rewards winners, success, fame, strength and even busyness. When asked about how we are really doing, we mumble something about “being ok” at best, thinking “never let them see your weakness.”
An honest question: Is there any hope for us to develop resilience, become stronger, and develop the muscle of endurance? Yes, but it comes down to faith in a God who is strong when I am not.
Hebrews 12 urges us to fix our eyes on Jesus. What do I see when I look at Jesus? The author and finisher of my faith. The Son-of-God-in-the-Flesh who endured more on the cross than I will ever completely comprehend.
Now imagine this. He isn’t just your example. He’s your God. He’s the G.O.A.T. of endurance and perseverance. And He’s willing to not only forgive your sins (thank you Jesus) but also live within you to coach you, train you, and at the end of the day, be the very source of strength you need. He’s there to pick you up when you fail to keep you going. He’s there to comfort your fear when the diagnosis is cancer. He’s there to walk with you through the journeys of trauma, grief, and recovery. And He’s still good when you’re facing a future you would have never imagined.
If you have a better alternative, I’m truly curious what that would be. To be honest, long ago my own difficulties pressed me to look for a resilient and gritty resolve not rooted in this world.
I wrote about my journey in the book ‘Letters to My Friends in Pain.” I share my own difficulties as well as a Perseverance Revolution – Five Mindset Changes that Bring Strength to our Souls. Available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/dEvFYJ6.
I’m not saying look at me. I’m no hero. I’m saying look at Jesus. Resilient souls are born from vulnerable and fragile faith that keeps looking up.
When you’re tempted to believe that you’re too weak, that the circumstances are too impossible, that you feel like too much a failure, and that you are too messed up for Jesus to really help, remember that He will never grow weary and lose heart.
You are why He came,
Brian