Titus 3:4-7 (NIV)
“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”
This past year has been a bit of a whirlwind. I became a father for the first time, a life-altering experience all on its own. And just as I was settling into that new role, I found myself facing an unexpected injury. At the start of camp this summer, I broke my collarbone and three ribs, leaving me physically sidelined during one of the busiest seasons of my life.
There’s something about being laid up and limited when you’re used to doing it all that really forces you to confront your own humanity. I wasn’t prepared for it, honestly. I wasn’t prepared to face how much I rely on my own strength, my own grit, to get through life. But God, in His way, used that injury to teach me a hard but necessary lesson: that I don’t have to be everything for everyone.
As men, there’s this unspoken expectation—whether we put it on ourselves or absorb it from the world around us—that we should always be capable, always in control. We’re supposed to be the providers, the protectors, the strong ones who hold everything together. And I think, deep down, we like that role. We want to be the dependable ones.
But this year, I was brought face-to-face with the reality that my strength, no matter how much I push, is limited. I couldn’t pick up my newborn son without pain. I couldn’t do my job the way I wanted to. In the midst of all of that, I had to learn how to live in the tension between grace and grit.
Grace That Carries Us
The words in Titus 3:4-7 hit me in a different way this season. Paul writes about the kindness and love of God—how He saves us, not because we’re good enough or strong enough, but because of His mercy. It’s a powerful reminder that we’re not the source of our salvation, or even the source of our own strength.
I’ve always thought of grace as something that covers me when I mess up, when I fall short of what I want to be. But this year, grace became something more. Grace became the thing that carried me when I literally couldn’t carry myself. It was in the moments when I was frustrated with my physical limitations, the times when I felt inadequate as a new father or sidelined as a camp leader. It was in those spaces that God’s grace stepped in.
The reality is, God’s grace doesn’t just sweep in when we’re at rock bottom—it walks with us every day. It’s there in the small, seemingly insignificant moments of failure or doubt. And it’s always enough.
Grit That Keeps Us Moving
But that doesn’t mean we just sit back and let life happen. There’s still grit involved. There’s still a call to show up, even when you’re not at 100%. I couldn’t just stop being a husband or a father because of my injury. Life moves forward whether you’re ready or not.
In those weeks, I had to get up, keep going, and find a new rhythm. It wasn’t easy, but God taught me something through it: that relying on His grace doesn’t mean checking out. It means digging deep, even when you’re tired, but doing so with the assurance that His strength is carrying you. Grace and grit—they’re not opposites. They work together.
Grace gives us the freedom to accept that we’re not perfect, that we won’t always have it together. And grit gives us the resilience to keep moving, knowing that God is walking with us through every challenge.
Living in the Tension
If you’re like me, you’ve probably wrestled with that tension. You know what it’s like to want to shoulder everything yourself, and you’ve also known those moments when you realize you can’t. But the beauty of grace is that it meets us right there, in the middle of that struggle. It reminds us that we’re not defined by how strong we are, but by how merciful God is.
I look at my son now, and I’m starting to understand a little more about the legacy I want to leave for him. It’s not just about being the strong dad who has it all together. I want him to see a dad who leans on God, who knows that his strength isn’t enough, but that God’s grace always is. That’s the kind of legacy I want to leave behind—one that’s built not on my own achievements, but on the grace and mercy of God.
So, wherever you are today, whether you’re feeling strong or struggling to keep it all together, remember this: God’s grace is enough. It’s enough to carry you through the highs and lows. And it’s in that tension between grace and grit that we find the strength to live the life God has called us to live.
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