Grit Won't Quit

Guys, I am really excited that October is here. I love the fall, I love college football season, I love the colder weather, and I love not having to mow the yard as often. But this year, I am also excited because for the Family Ministry at Bridges, this month is Grit Month.

That probably seems like a strange thing to be excited about, but I’ve never intentionally lined up a topic for all of our kids and students, PreK-High School, to talk about at the same time. To be fair, we aren’t actually teaching our PreK kids about Grit, but we are talking about how God has a plan for our lives even when life gets hard. That is essentially grit on a PreK level.

That begs the question, what is grit? I have spent a lot of time in the last year or two thinking about grit, specifically grit as it relates to the next generation, and I’ll be honest, my definition of grit is very much a work in progress. Angela Duckworth, author of New York Times Bestseller Grit, defines grit as “passion and perseverance for long-term goals.” That seems over simplified on the surface, but there is actually a lot packed in there. My working definition of grit is “overcoming obstacles and getting back up on your feet again especially as it relates to what matters most.” I know, Angela’s is tighter and we really aren’t saying anything different, like I said, it’s a work in progress. Just know that when I say grit, this is what I mean. It is not just toughness or the really good breakfast food, it is about prioritizing what matters most and persevering through tough times.  

Why grit?  If I could package up any character trait that will help kids and students in their walk with Jesus and then just give it to the entire next generation, it would be grit. Of course I want them to love others well, give of themselves generously, and live a life that humbly represents Jesus to those around them (among many other things.) But to me, if there is one thing this generation lacks, generally speaking, that can be the biggest game changer for them and future generations, it's grit.

Let me be clear, while I don’t think this next generation is particularly gritty, I don’t blame them for that at all. It is our responsibility to teach, invest in and train up future generations. If they have a lack of grit problem, we ought to take a moment to ask some hard questions about why that might be.

This generation is growing up in a world where adults don’t do hard things well. Nearly half of all marriages end in divorce. According to the CDC (let that sink in) with only 45 states reporting, there were over 630,000 divorces in 2020 which is significantly down from previous years due to the pandemic.  

The U.S. job turnover rate is at nearly 60% and according to Zippa 60-70% of that turnover is voluntary.  

According to Barna, in 2019 only 29% of U.S. Adults attend church weekly, down from 48% as recently as 2009.  

The National Institute of Health says that over 12 million adults in the U.S. had serious thoughts of commiting suicide in 2020. They also say that suicide is one of the 4 leading causes of death for Americans age 10-44.

We quit too easily. Marriage, careers, church and life can all be hard. But when young people see us quitting things that we should not be quitting on because it is hard and we are scared to fail, don’t know what to do, or just don’t feel like trying, we get a generation that doesn’t know what to do when they get knocked down.

While those examples are “the big ones,” don’t we quit on the small stuff all the time as well? Friendships fall apart everyday because someone moved away, got married, had kids or voted differently than them. We quit on our favorite sports teams because they are rebuilding and just don’t win very much. We quit on our kids sports team because the coach wasn’t fair. We quit on a passion project because we just don’t have time. The list goes on and on.  

The slogan or main idea for our Elementary kids this month is “Grit Won’t Quit.” They are learning about Joseph, one of Jacob’s 12 son’s, whose brothers were going to kill him, but instead decided to sell him into slavery because they were jealous. Then after being falsely accused by his master's wife and thrown in jail, Pharaoh realized Joseph could interpret his dreams, so he made him his right hand man. When Joseph's brothers come to him begging for food during the famine, he generously gives it to them. Joseph didn’t quit on his brothers, God or his life through all of the moments of crisis that he had to face.

This week at Youth Group we read 2 Corinthians 11:23-27:     

I have... been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.

Just like Joseph, Paul had many moments when he could’ve said “I quit.” He could’ve quit on God, his people, the Gentiles, even his own life. But he didn’t, he preserved because he knew how to get back up when he was knocked down.

For the sake of the next generation and the generations to come, reflect with me on ways you can be a grittier follower of Jesus. Show the next generation how to get back up when you get knocked down. I won’t go as far to say not to quit anything, in fact, you probably should quit some things, but don’t quit the big things. Don’t quit on your marriages and families, don’t quit on relationships with people that matter, don’t quit on passions and callings in your life, don’t quit on you and don’t quit on Jesus or His church.  ‘Cause grit won’t quit.