True Grit

When I worked at the hospital, I would go into a patient’s room who was watching cowboy movies, and I would wish I was home covered in a fluffy blanket watching them myself. From a distance they looked so uncomplicated, but I can’t say they were really all that relaxing as I watch them now, since in just one episode, several people were shot, hanged for stealing a horse, or dragged by a horse until they were nearly dead. Oh, and how could I forget the cattle stampedes that mangled some poor cattle driver in a deadly accident, or was it really an accident?

I will say it took grit to go out west and deal with all the danger and very uncomfortable conditions. Many people risked their life picking up their belongings and putting them in a covered wagon and heading west. Indians on the warpath caused a constant fear, but still there is grit. Even so many even died before they arrived at their new home.

How many of us have “grit”? Are Christians supposed to have “grit”? It made me wonder if this is a good thing or bad.

There is that scripture that comes from 2 Corinthians.

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength, with God, making all things perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”  2 Corinthians 12:9.

The question now is, “Can we have this weakness and still have grit?” Can we be tempted to be proud when we have what some say is grit? First, I don’t think weakness is self-loathing or feeling downtrodden, but a realization of who we are in Christ. It is knowing who we are and who we are not. We are not God and to see that next to him we are weak is our invitation to humility.

 The definition of grit usually includes such words as courage, strength, and passion. Perseverance and dedication round out the characteristics of a person with true grit.

I think Paul is one who had true grit, yet he knows he is weak, according to scripture. After Paul asked for God to remove his “thorn” he realized that weakness gives us a dependence on our God. When we think about grit did Paul himself have grit? We all know he persevered through his trials, persecution and finally execution. He was determined to spread the gospel to Gentiles all the while his face was set toward Rome where he would be tortured and die. In Christ Paul had true grit that might have been born out of weakness.

If we take a look at people who are known for having grit there is one thing they all have in common. Think of Paul! Before Paul could have grit he had to have a passion and Paul’s passion was Jesus. When we have a passion for winning souls to Jesus it might start with a fear or weakness to testify about our journey to finding Christ. In this passage, he is saying that through your weakness, strength comes forth from our Lord. It is a God given grit or determination to do the will of the Father.

Have I waited for Jesus to turn my weakness to grit? Does the power of Christ rest on me?

Happy Trails to You!

 

Teach us to Pray my King

Teach Us to Pray My King

 

For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty. (Isaiah 6:5b NIV)

Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King sing praises for God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. (Psalm 47:6-7 NIV)

 In 1956, I had a little girl friend I played with when I was eight years old. We played dolls, school and jump rope, but there are two things I most remember about her. One was we watched Elvis Presley on the Ed Sullivan Show at her house. Squealing, our little eight-year-old hearts stopped as we danced to the beautiful voice of the handsome idol. The second memory was going to Bible School with her one humid summer night. I climbed up into the car and my friend and I giggled all the way as little girls are prone to do, even in the dreadfully hot car. They led us to a stuffy room with other second graders who all sat on tiny colored chairs with just the right sized table for little kids. A pleasant lady, who patted my shoulder as she passed, handed me a piece of red construction and another piece of gray paper. They put the glue in the center of the table, along with crayons, to copy what she wrote on the blackboard. These words would become the most important words that I had heard in my young life. For the first time, I learned I could pray to God. The friendly teacher read from the bible that Jesus' friends asked him to teach them how to pray. I wondered why these men would ask Jesus this. Did they notice a difference in Jesus after he had talked to the God of heaven? "Teach Us to Pray" she had written in perfect cursive, on the board as the story unfolded from the worn bible of the one who held it. "You and I too can talk to God,” she said with such love in her voice. I glued the sheets together and cut lopsided lips to finish my masterpiece. I left that little room knowing that I could talk to God. As soon as I could, I tried out this promise they gave me that evening. Most of my prayers started like a letter, "Dear God, " I would begin. The hot evening ended with a singing of "Jesus Loves Me" which also rang out as a testimony about this new friend I had found.

I guess my faded piece of paper with "Teach Us to Pray" must by now be 65 years old a genuine antique in anyone's book. The brittle, faded paper, takes me back to the most important lesson I ever learned. 

Praise you, my Dear God for looking at a wee girl and giving her the most wonderful gift. It is funny in a way that my young heart was stopped by a king that sang "Love Me Tender" but was blessed eternally by the King of Kings who tenderly taught me to pray.