The “grit” of Paul

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” -Philippians 3:12

In sports, we would often hear that the complete competitor is one that is not only skilled in his craft, but someone who possesses a fire within him that no amount of setback can put out. This is often reduced to the word “grit” in the English language. But what exactly is grit? And how does one make it part of his arsenal? Is it something we are born with or something we work hard to have?

Grit for me, is the non-tangible asset that allows one to be successful amidst the many obstacles that abound in pursuing a dream. Today’s guru of grit, Dr. Angela Duckworth, defines it as perseverance and passion to achieve long-term goals. Whether in sports, business or life itself, grit has been an important asset, probably a necessary one, of those we have deemed to be successful. It’s the ability to continue pursuing your goal, staying on track for the long term, regardless of what happens around you. We have all heard the stories of the great ones. Thomas Edison failing with several inventions before coming-up with the light bulb, Walt Disney closing his cartoon company due to bankruptcy, and Steve Jobs being kicked-out of his own company before reinventing the Apple brand to name a few. Grit is good! The problem is that not everyone who wants it, has it. As attractive as it is to have, it is also just as elusive. Very few possess this golden virtue. Is it even a virtue? A virtue has a moral element to it. Grit does not seem to have this, as grit is all about getting what you want.

Thinking about grit, I am reminded about the concept of “the force” in the iconic Star Wars saga. The force, according to Wikipedia, is a “metaphysical and ubiquitos (present everywhere) power in the Star Wars universe.” It is used by both the good and bad to their advantage. The bad or “dark side” even claims that it is more powerful when used by them. This of course is because their intention in using the force is really to exploit the power to their advantage, while the good, the so called Jedis, only intend to use it to maintain a balance in the universe. So definitely not a virtue, but rather a skill that can be used to achieve either good or bad.

The apostle Paul called this, the ability to “press on.” Paul was a man who started at the South Pole if being Christlike was to be at the north most point. His was a story where grit was honed and used for the bad, but was eventually redirected at the peak of its power to be used for good. At the beginning of his story, Paul was one who advocated against Christ’s teachings and even persecuted His followers. Paul was “the” enemy of Christianity. But somehow, after an encounter of a lifetime at the road to Damascus, things started to change. Something changed inside of Paul, the former Saul, which pushed him to keep choosing that hard, less attractive, but right decision. Just like an athlete trying to reach for that championship trophy – choosing to go to the gym instead of hanging-out with friends, choosing the boring grilled white meat instead of the deep fried wings, and choosing to go all-out on every run, instead of just cruising by to check it off his to do list for the day. Paul was an athlete in the arena where life with Christ was the trophy. And he was a really good one, a champion if you may. Here are a few of the moments where Paul showed grit in his journey home to Christ…

Losing Sight, Gaining Might: Paul lost his sight when he first encountered Christ through a shiny bright light. Most people I know, would at this moment question God instead of revere Him. “Why take away my sight, Lord? What kind of a God are you?” Instead, Paul, who encounters Christ for the first time makes a 360 turn. He had no prior pleasant experience with Christ before this, at least none that has been accounted for. The only explanation would be grace – the grace of Christ was upon him, allowing him to make the right choice of proceeding to the city of Damascus where Christ told him to go, instead of going back to the comforts of his very own Jerusalem. He said yes to the voice of Christ, yes to the task given him. Then he endured three days of no sight, no water and no food before being approached by Ananias, and that takes grit!

Prisoner to Singer: Paul and Silas were in Philippi when some scammers realized that their opportunity to make money was halted by Paul’s ability to call out spirits in the name of Jesus. This eventually led to the beating of, and later imprisonment without a trial of the two. We all know that it is human nature to frown upon unfortunate events that happen to us when we try to do good. It’s just unacceptable that bad things should happen to good people. Karma shouldn’t be working that way! Instead of having a bitter attitude however, Paul and Silas started singing hymns of praise to the Lord our God when they were in prison. Being in prison was not going to stop them from doing what they needed to do. Other prisoners were even able to share in this joy. There was just no stopping Paul from his goal of uniting with Christ. It did not matter what kind of luck met him on the road – he was going to continue to matter what! Again, grit in full display.

From Sinner to Winner: Paul is known for struggling with sin even after his conversion. He said “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.” (Romans 7:15) Paul understood that he was a slave to sin, as we are a slave to the same. He even went so far as to call himself a “wretched man.” But to talk about overcoming sin may be too much to digest, so let’s talk about being a slave to bad habits instead. Often times, when we try to get rid of a bad habit, such as snoozing that alarm clock for another five minutes, we just give-up on it and accept it as part of who we are. Paul refused to identify with sin even if he repeatedly fell to it. He fought it, pushed through it, never gave-up and continued to follow Christ despite the hold this had on him. He kept trying, even if he kept falling. And we all know how his life later on ended in relation to this… “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness is laid up for me…” (2 Timothy 7-8) Again, the gritty Paul refused to settle.

Small everyday decisions, small everyday actions, leading up to what will later be perceived as great choices because they led to your ultimate goal, is what grit is all about. We are all born with it, but not all develop it into a strong tool to help them reach their goals. It’s a skill that can be honed for sure – starting with small victories that can lead up to bigger ones. Paul’s life is a shining example of how one lives with grit. But Paul teaches us even more about grit than simply building it and getting stronger at persevering. Paul’s grit, or as he calls it “press(ing) on,” has a partner that it cannot live without – faith. The main motivator for his grit may have been the goal of uniting with Christ one day, but it was also his faith that what he did would lead to Christ that kept him going. “Trust the process” is how our modern day athletes would put it. And the process must be trust worthy to begin with! No matter how hard you push, if you push the wrong way, you just won’t get there – and eventually the limitations of the human body will lead you to failure. Some people persevere but don’t make it, because at some point, their mortality gets to them before they get to their long-term goal. Because sure, you can fail an infinite number of times as long as you get up every time, but let’s not forget that our time is finite. So the next time you think of yourself of a gritty person just waiting for your breakthrough, think again and don’t forget to check your methods. Paul’s methods were on point. If yours aren’t, then you’re just another stubborn man.