Hey friend, how ya been? Just curious- Have you had a different response to interruptions in your life since listening to the Timely Tips we covered last time on Episode 103? I have a feeling that may be one episode you need to save to go back to over and over, cuz if your life is anything like mine, there’s always something or someone wanting our attention…and if we’re not careful, we will give our best time away to less important things. That’s not what you want either right? I know, cuz that’s why you’re here.
So how amazing would it be to be part of a community of other Christian women who are intentionally reflecting on their own lives and committing to redeeming their time in this season and in light of eternity? Amazing! Remember Danielle whose question got featured last time? Listen to what she just shared with me inside our community…
“I love this podcast (and community) and the story of your history bringing you to REDEEM Her Time. I’m so excited to be in a place that offers practical application of time management principles, supported with Scriptures!”
YES- that’s what Redeem Her Time is all about…and Girl, you gotta get inside the community to see how it takes what you hear on the podcast to a whole new level in your life. You can find more testimonials and the full scoop on the community tab of the REDEEM Her Time website at redeemhertime.com
Speaking of connecting with other Christian women, some conversations I’ve had lately, plus the Holy Spirit, prompted today’s topic. Perhaps you’ve heard me say over and over, progression over perfection, meaning it’s about the journey, not just the destination. Or maybe you’ve heard the saying, “Just give yourself grace,” meaning, don’t be so hard on yourself. Recently I heard a coach say “Grace over Guilt,” meaning don’t make your decisions mean something untrue about you. And it was right then that this phrase popped into my head…
GRACE over GRIT.
So I started to pray and ponder what God might have for me…and for you. And how this affects our perspective of ourselves and how we use our time. He showed me some things I need to hear and be reminded of, so I pray the same is true for you as you listen today… And that you will apply it too.
You see I was that GRIT girl.
I thought my value to God and to others as well as the way to live out my purpose was to DO MORE- to work harder, faster, better. I was an A-student by nature (honestly, I think it would have been more work for me to not do my homework and not study for exams), then I was a classroom teacher and homeschool mom who was always working on lesson plans and ideas (and wasted time reinventing the wheel more times than I care to admit).. .
Even at our annual college girls weekends, I was the one in the kitchen cleaning up the leftovers and washing up the dishes while everyone else lingered around the coffee table (why was it that I couldn’t see work that needed to be done and just let it be for a time?)
It was almost like I didn’t know who I was without my work.
Even when I first started coaching, it was focused on GOAL ACHIEVEMENT, meaning working to reach your goals (probably because that’s what felt natural for me).
I knew how to work. I didn’t know how to NOT work.
And can I be honest with you? I was completely overwhelmed and exhausted trying to do it all. But as I’m sure you know by experience too, when God has something He wants you to learn, He uses people, circumstances and challenges to help you see it.
I needed to embrace GRACE over GRIT.
It wasn’t that I didn’t know I was saved by grace alone, but somehow I had missed the part about it not requiring my works to maintain it. And learning this has made all the difference in how I spend my time. Cuz now I know the world will not stop spinning when I stop from my work. And God doesn’t base my worth as His daughter on what I do. He showed me to DO less…And I’ve noticed I actually get more done (of what matters) by doing less.
I finally understand GRACE over GRIT…or at least I’m getting closer.
So let’s start with GRIT. What exactly is it?
I think we can skip over the first definition of “small, loose particles of stone or sand”“…and jump right to “courage and resolve; strength of character”. If that’s you too, you know you can’t just sit around and wait for things to happen- you have to take action, to work to make it happen. In fact, the example sentence is, “He displayed the true grit of a Navy pilot”. Being a military wife and mom, I have seen first-hand the true grit of a soldier and how they will push farther, faster and longer than their enemies to complete the objective. That’s a good trait- cuz that’s the kind of person I want defending our freedom, don’t you?
Using the 8 areas of attention we talk about, I think we could also say, “She displayed the true grit of a Christian or a committed wife & mom or a loyal friend or a loyal employee or business owner or a financial steward or a healthy and passionate woman or a detailed housekeeper…” Again, all good things because it means she’s actively taking action towards her objective of living the life God has called her to.
Don’t hear me wrong, it’s not that GRIT is a bad thing to be avoided (like perfection or guilt from those other phrases). Living a WITH-God life takes work (aka Grit), but it needs to be in its right place in relation to grace. Is this making sense?
So what is GRACE and why should it be OVER grit?
Again, we’ll skip over the first definitions of “simple elegance and courteous goodwill” to what it means in light of the Bible- “the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and divinely given blessing.” Did you hear the words FREE and UNMERITED? That means it’s NOT something we can work towards or earn.
Ahh, does that help my fellow WORK and GRIT girls breathe a little easier too?
And did you catch the second part? Grace is divinely given- meaning it’s only given by God. Wow. Which makes me think about all the times I’ve heard women say (or that I’ve said to them), “Just give yourself grace.” If we truly understand grace, that’s not even possible.
We cannot give ourselves grace, only God can.
But we can do one thing when it comes to grace…allow for it.
Allow yourself grace. Meaning create space for it. Get out of the way so that God can do what only He can do. And that can only happen when you stop working to try to earn it…which we already know is futile, so why waste any more of your precious time trying?
When we try to earn grace, it changes us on the outside.
When God gives us grace, it changes us from the inside.
I love Paul’s reminder in Romans 11:6
“But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace.” Yes and Amen.
And for those of us who think that we are strong in ourselves, Paul tells us his own story of being humbled by grace over works in 2 Corinthians 12:9
“But He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in (your) weakness.”
Is it getting clearer now- GRACE over GRIT?
It’s not that we don’t play a part in the process of becoming who He is calling us to be in each area, (aka we’re not just sitting on the couch and waiting for God to do His part). We do have a part too, but it’s only after we’ve allowed for His grace, by making space for it to do its work in us first.
Then we can correctly apply Paul’s words in Colossians 3:23-24
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
When we have received His grace in our lives, it changes us from the inside out- and we can’t help but let it overflow into the world around us by working for him. Not to earn salvation or more grace because we have already received it fully, but to give Him the glory.
It’s not about doing something to give ourselves grace, which is actually only changing our external behaviors (like, giving yourself grace if you can’t fit in time to read the Bible or when you ate more dessert than you should have on a stressful day).
It’s about not doing something to allow Him to give grace, which is actually what will transform us into who He is calling us to be.
That’s why it’s grace OVER grit.
The work is FROM the grace, not FOR it.
So how does this new perspective apply to how you use your time?
I’m so glad you asked. As I see it, there are 2 ways…
- RECEIVE GRACE from Him.
- WORK with GRIT for Him.
- RECEIVE GRACE FROM HIM. And how do we receive it? We receive grace with open hands and open hearts. We don’t try to reach for it or force it or manipulate it to make it what we want it to be, we create an openness in our spirit for God to fill with His Spirit and His Grace as His child. We spend time in His Word. We keep listening to His Spirit. We come back to His truth. We rest in the knowing that we are His and there is nothing we can do to change His Grace in our lives. So there’s no sense in wasting time trying to drum up your own form of grace or even your worthiness to receive His. Just open up your hands- that takes no time at all, but gives you back all the time you spend trying to earn it.
- WORK WITH GRIT FOR HIM. So what do we do with it? We let the grace guide our work. We let His grace fill every area of attention in our lives- our faith-walk, our family, our friendships, our service, our stewardship, our wellness, our passions, our dwelling. And with gratitude for that grace, we walk out who He is calling us to be and what He is calling us to do with it in this season. He doesn’t say not to work, but to work well (remember Colossians 3:23 work at it with all your heart?). May the strength of the character His Spirit produces in you (aka the transformation He does on your heart) lead you to work well. That’s where to invest your time- in doing the work that He has given you to do, not the work the world expects or that you feel obligated to do. That should free up some space in your heart and calendar, right?
Did you know He actually created work for us to do?
Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
I’m a stickler for NOT taking a verse out of context to make it mean what we want it to mean…so get this…as you look at what Paul said in verses 1-9 of Ephesians 2, it’s all about receiving grace from God. And the work is at the end.
GRACE over GRIT.
A life of intention and time well spent takes both, just in the right order and relationship to one another.
And when you ever feel like GRIT is starting to creep ahead of the GRACE…go back to His Word, open your heart and create space to allow for His grace to fill you by stopping your work.
RECEIVE GRACE from Him.
WORK with GRIT for Him.
As a recovering To-Do List Girl, I need this renewed perspective….and I’m guessing you do too.
I’d love to hear your thoughts about GRACE and GRIT over inside the REDEEM Her Time Community…let me pray for you, then go check out the community page on the redeemhertime.com website and click join to come on in.
Dear Gracious Father-
Thank you for your grace. Thank you that your grace is free and unmerited and can only come from You. Thank you that there is nothing we can do to earn it. May this precious daughter of Yours, stop her work and quiet her heart to receive it with open hands and an open heart. And may that grace fill her and stir in her and overflow out of her with a desire to do the work that You have given her to do. By Your Grace Alone. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Thanks for joining me for this episode and until next time, remember…
You DO have ALL the time you need to do ALL He has called you to.
Focus on who + what matters most to Redeem your Time in this season and in light of eternity…
Cuz you are here for Such a Time as This.
Visit the REDEEM Her Time Website at https://redeemhertime.com to
> Grab your free guide to REDEEM Your Time in 5 Min
> Schedule a free 15 Min Strategy Session
> Join the REDEEM Her Time Community (and get your first 3 days free!)
>>> or DO ALL-THE-ABOVE!
P.S. And don’t forget to leave a review to get your name in the drawing for $100 OFF!!!
