My 3 G’s: Grit…
Let your light shine before others. - Matthew 5:16
“If we honor God amid hard times, our light will shine in the darkness.” - Lysa Terkeurst
When you search for the meaning of "Grit," you will find definitions like courage, resolve, strength of character, moral fiber, and determination despite difficulties. Until the middle of 2015, I had never experienced intense adversity. Although I had some challenging moments, nothing required me to dig deep into my inner core to move forward productively.
However, when my personal and professional life was turned upside down simultaneously, I had the opportunity to be lifted and guided by my internal anchors. These anchors gave me strength, dignity, clarity, and focus and reminded me how to show up even during one of the most challenging seasons of my life.
Haphak, a Hebrew word from the Old Testament, refers to a turning point when someone becomes something new. During this season, I chose to become something new.
Richard Leider once said that every transition to a new phase of purpose is accompanied by a crisis of uncertainty, a chaotic period in which we organize ourselves. I had to walk slowly through this chapter of my life. I wanted to sprint through it because I’m not particularly eager to go slowly, but the slow and steady walk taught me some lasting lessons.
First, I found a beautiful calm when I stopped trying to control the pace. That's when I could go within and learn the meaning of "truly." At that moment, I learned to breathe, believe, and be truly; wholeheartedly place my trust in God; forgive myself and others; observe, absorb, and learn (not just the lessons I wanted to absorb); and remain completely uncomfortable, trusting that it would lead me to more significant growth.
The lesson I learned was that once I embraced this "truly" stage, I could pause and reflect, giving myself the gift of thinking and listening from within. This allowed me to lean into the lessons this chapter was intended to bring to my life and the lives of others rather than rushing past them.
“How thankful that I am that even when my circumstances cause me to lose sight of hope, Jesus never loses sight of me.”
Photo by Averee Kreutzfeldt at Bar 33 Ranch, Blaisdell, North Dakota