Spiritual Grit
Spiritual Grit
By Kathy Penrod
My mom had grit. She was a passionate individual with unwavering conviction to her beliefs and principles. She had a hard life and things often didn’t go the way she would have liked. Yet she kept her head held high and kept her focus on things that mattered. She was unyielding in her courage and faith.
So, when the speaker at church the other day mentioned the need for us to have spiritual grit I quickly latched on to the term and began thinking about it throughout the following days. I knew what grit was. I had grown up with a great example of it. But what was spiritual grit?
Merriam-Webster defines “grit” as “firmness of mind or spirit : unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger”
I believe spiritual grit means we stand firm in our testimony and are unyielding in the face of spiritual challenges. Spiritual grit means we remain converted even though the world around us might scream messages contrary to our beliefs. Spiritual grit means we continue doing those things that have been proven to bring us closer to Jesus Christ. Spiritual grit means we stick it out until the end.
There are many, many ways we can gain and maintain spiritual grit. Here are just 3 ideas that will fortify your spiritual grit.
1. Choose to believe
Believing is not passive. Belief doesn’t just happen. It’s not something that is automatic. You must choose it and you must choose to work for it. Belief requires action on our part. It requires that we DO something.
L. Whitney Clayton taught,
“We must give place for the hope that we will find spiritual light by embracing belief rather than choosing to doubt. Our actions are the evidence of our belief and become the substance of our faith. We are choosing to believe when we pray and when we read the scriptures. We are choosing to believe when we fast, when we keep the Sabbath day holy, and when we worship in the temple. We are choosing to believe when we are baptized and when we partake of the sacrament. We are choosing to believe when we repent and seek divine forgiveness and healing love.”
So, in our effort to have spiritual grit, let us choose to believe.
2. Partake of the sacrament weekly.
Partaking of the sacrament weekly gives our spirit a boost for the week to come. We are reminded of what the Savior did for us and will be buoyed up by His strength. We are also given the chance to repent of things we have done wrong and are made clean again through the blood of Jesus Christ. We need this. It enables us to have courage amid the storms of life. It helps us stand firm in our testimony.
Dale G. Renlund taught,
“Lifelong conversion requires that we access the Holy Ghost, and we do that by focusing on the sacrament throughout our lives. By iteratively claiming the cleansing effect of baptism through the sacrament, our own personal conversion becomes lifelong.”
3. Repent daily
Yes, it is true that we can repent when we take the sacrament each week. But the Lord needs our contrite heart everyday. He doesn’t want us to just rattle off a generic prayer for repentance but He wants us to truly regret the actions that separate us from Him. As we repent every day, we can receive a daily realignment of our thoughts and behaviors. We can get back on course easier and stay on the path more fully.
President Russell M. Nelson said,
Nothing is more liberating, more ennobling, or more crucial to our individual progression than is a regular, daily focus on repentance. Repentance is not an event; it is a process. It is the key to happiness and peace of mind. When coupled with faith, repentance opens our access to the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Repentance helps us maintain our conversion. Being repentant is being close to God.
Having spiritual grit is critical in today’s world. It is our choice whether or not we remain true to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The actions we take each day will either bring us closer to Jesus Christ or further from Him. There is no middle ground somewhere where we can just casually wait. We will either ascend or descend on the climb that leads us back to our Heavenly Father.
Dale G. Renlund said,
“Ultimately, whether we remain converted throughout our lifetimes depends on our determination to be engaged with the doctrine of Christ.”
It is my prayer that we will each summon our spiritual grit and stay true to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is where we will find peace. This is where we will find truth. This is where we will find happiness. If we don’t feel that in our hearts then we need to engage ourselves more fully in the doctrine of Christ. We will see that, over time, answers will come and our testimonies will grow. I know that having spiritual grit will bring great rewards in the end.
