In her recent book, Grit,
Angela Duckworth has discovered something that we have known for a long time.
More important than IQ or innate ability is Grit – the willingness to
persevere. Some students are slower than others, but if they persevere, they
can eventually surpass the most gifted. https://youtu.be/H14bBuluwB8
However, how do we get grit? I know how not to get grit. I
had become the chess champion of my high school. I felt so good about this that
I entered into the state championship, but I was eliminated in my first match.
What went wrong? In retrospect, I understood that my entire
self-esteem was at stake in my performance. When I lost, I was devastated and
gave up on chess. I couldn’t take the defeat. In fact, I avoided all things
that might result in failure, and this narrowed my life considerably. I dropped
out of college three times. Eventually, I even rejected society and became part
of the “tune, turn on, and drop out” sub-culture.
However, I eventually finished my BA and earned a Masters
degree. I now teach and write. I still don’t like failure, but something had
changed. Now, I have a little more grit. Why? My self-image is now changed. It
is no longer utterly dependent upon my performance. Admittedly, I still want to
succeed, and it doesn’t feel good when I don’t succeed, but now my self-image
rests upon a different foundation. I now have the assurance that God loves me
and will never leave me, even if success and recognition flee far from me and
the world rejects me. I know that my Savior will never reject me:
·
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no
longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the
flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians
2:20)
Knowing the Savior has freed me.
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