True Grit in the Marketplace

by Rob Genin

“Grit” has been a popular catchword in business the past few years. It is most widely defined as “firmness of character, an indomitable spirit, or unyielding courage.” It is the ability to not quit or give up when things get difficult. That is important in the marketplace, because things so often do get difficult. Plans change, companies get acquired, commission schedules change, longtime employees retire. There are constant adjustments and surviving and even flourishing despite those changes is a key part of business. The path to flourishing with grit is not to become rigid or simply stubborn. That can make a person brittle as the constant blows of life hammer them. As an example, consider the apostle Paul. He labored for many years to see churches planted all throughout the Roman Empire, and he endured constant difficulties. In writing to the Corinthians, he described a conversation he had with God about those challenges:

“But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Paul had seen startling and amazing things (2 Corinthians 12:2-4). To keep Paul from becoming proud and arrogant from his opportunities, God allowed him to go through great trouble and suffering. In the process, Paul discovered the middle way for us between the twin tragedies of arrogance and despair. Paul had grit – he never quit. He got stoned at one point (2 Corinthians 11:25) and went through three (!) shipwrecks (verse 26), among other trials. Yet what kept him going were not the internal resources of a “can-do attitude;” rather it was the power of Christ resting on him.

Grit is a useful concept. What Paul teaches us is that true and lasting strength comes from admitting our weaknesses, humbling ourselves and holding out our hands, so that God can fill us up with His power. When we come to the end of ourselves, it is not the end – it is the beginning, provided we look to Jesus, whose resources and grit never fail.