The Gift Of Grit

The Gift of Grit

Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset.

It was at the midpoint in our hike to the summit of Black Elk Peak that I promised our daughter a break upon reaching a fork in the trail that was surely just around the next bend. She and I plodded along slightly behind the rest of our group, peering longingly around each curve, both looking forward to that promised break and a little snack I had tucked into our backpacks.

When we finally got to the fork, I reached for my pack, grateful for the opportunity to rest before tackling the steepest part of our journey. But my daughter, upon reading that the summit was one-fourth of a mile up the trail, turned to me and said, “We made it this far without stopping, let’s keep going! I want to reach the top without resting!”

Um . . . what? I watched as she disappeared up the rocky trail before I continued as well, pondering how having companions and encouragement can help us press through hard things we’d otherwise be tempted to quit. I pushed my daughter, and then she pushed me, each of us having the energy and motivation at different points during the hike to keep the other one moving forward.

Merriam-Webster defines grit as “firmness of mind or spirit; unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger.” This quality can be an internal strength of character or a powerful external coming together as a community of believers. We see grit in the story of Moses, Aaron, and Hur. Moses was tasked with keeping his arms raised so that the battle below against a much larger army would be won, but it is only with the help of Aaron and Hur that the Israelites were victorious that day. Aaron and Hur gave Moses the gift of grit—the courage to continue until his work was done.

We were never intended to go it completely alone, relying only upon ourselves. My strength is multiplied in my community of family and girlfriends who refuse to let me quit, who give me gritty encouragement, even during my moments of whiny argument about why it is too hard and too uncomfortable.

— Julie

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

Which of your friends may need gritty encouragement? Encourage her, even as you find a way to ease her burden.