Grit

Refusing to give up when life gets hard.

W E E K 1

For week one, we pick up God’s Big Story in Genesis 37, 39-40. We learn how Joseph was his father, Jacob’s, favorite son. Joseph’s brothers were completely jealous—with their jealousy fueled by Joseph’s dreams that had them bowing down to him. They decided to get rid of Joseph and sell him to a band of traders headed to Egypt. They covered up their actions by lying to Jacob and telling him that Joseph had died. But even though Joseph was enslaved in Egypt, God continued to show up in Joseph’s life and help him become successful—both in Potiphar’s house, and even in prison after he was falsely accused.

Bottom Line: Hold on because God is with you. As we introduce the idea of grit to our kids, we want them first and foremost to understand that the best way to have grit is by trusting God. God has been faithful to so many people throughout history. God will be with us no matter what we face. We may not understand why we must go through a hard season, but we can trust that God is with us and will give us what we need to keep going.

W E E K 2

Next, we continue Joseph’s story in Genesis 41-45, where Joseph was in prison, forgotten. Pharaoh had a dream that no one could interpret. The cupbearer remembered how Joseph had interpreted his dream. At once, Pharaoh sent for Joseph. With God’s help, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams and offered a plan for helping Egypt survive the coming famine. Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of the entire kingdom! Sure enough, everything Joseph said came true, and a famine swept across the land. Joseph’s brothers made the trek down to Egypt, and they ended up right in front of Joseph. After some back and forth, Joseph couldn’t stand it any longer. He revealed himself to his brothers and offered them forgiveness for everything. Joseph brought his whole family down to Egypt. God used Joseph and his circumstances to save the Israelites and fulfill the promise to Abraham.

Bottom Line: Hold on because there’s a bigger story. When we’re going through a difficult time, it’s hard to imagine that it could be part of something bigger and better than we expect. Thankfully, we don’t have to find grit on our own; we can trust God to give us what we need to keep going. This idea is not to diminish any pain or hurt we might experience during our difficult time. But we can live with hope, knowing that God can turn our difficulties into something better than what we think is possible.

W E E K 3

In week three, we head to Exodus 2:1-10. Joseph’s family, God’s people, were growing in number. Pharoah enslaved them and made life miserable for them. That’s where Moses came in. Moses was born when Pharaoh went even further and commanded that all Israelite baby boys should be killed. Moses’ mother and sister probably weren’t too sure that putting Moses in a basket in the Nile River would keep him safe, but they were determined to keep Moses alive. They chose not to give up. God rescued Moses through the Pharaoh’s daughter, who ended up bringing Moses into the palace as her son and raising him as an Egyptian.

Bottom Line: Hold on even when you don’t know what to do. One of the biggest lessons we learn from Moses’ mom and sister is that they never gave up trusting in God. They weren’t sure how their circumstances would work out, but they believed that God would keep Moses safe. They held on to hope. And God came through for them with a major rescue. God can do the same for us. God can meet us in our confusion and give us the grit we need to push through.

W E E K 4

In week four, we discover God’s plan for rescuing the Israelites. In Exodus 3-6; 7-12:42, we see how God’s plan started. Moses was watching sheep on the side of a mountain and saw a bush on fire—but it wasn’t burning up. Now, that alone might make someone a little nervous, but then Moses heard the voice of God! God asked Moses to go up against the most powerful ruler of his time, to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites free from their enslavement. This incredible story shows how Moses trusted God and never gave up. God’s people saw God show up in amazing ways—all to rescue them!

Bottom Line: Hold on because God knows what you’re going through. In this story, we see how God saw, heard, and did something about what was happening to the Israelites. God sees, hears, and has the power to take care of what we’re going through, too. We can find comfort in knowing that the God of the universe knows our circumstances and is helping us get through them. We can trust God no matter what.

W E E K 5

We finish up the month in Exodus 13:17-14:31. God’s people were on their way out of Egypt. Everything was looking great for the Hebrews, until Pharaoh changed his mind. Moses and the Hebrew people found themselves trapped between the Red Sea in front of them and Pharaoh’s army in hot pursuit. But with God’s help, Moses and the Israelites didn’t give up, even in a tough situation. God performed a miracle, parting the Red Sea and allowing the Israelites to escape.

Bottom Line: Hold on because God is in control. We often feel like the Israelites—stuck, with no clear way out of our circumstances. We’re not sure what to do, and we’re not sure we’ll ever get to the other side. Thankfully, we don’t need to face these moments on our own. God is with us and is always working things out, even when we can’t see it. We can trust that God is in control. God will give us what we need to keep going and make it through with grit.