"grit"

These last several weeks have been big tournament basketball games on tv and with lots of newspaper coverage. The analytics cover everything from the coaches, to the players and the games themselves. We learn about the coaches history and experience, the players sizes and talents and even personal lives and ultimately the odds of who will win the games. (After all we live in Las Vegas and the gaming industry turns this into big business.)

One recent article caught my attention. It was analyzing why some teams without the biggest players seem to do surprisingly well....why some players of seemingly "normal" size (not the 6 feet 11 inches say) excel at particular shots. One coach explained this excellence as "grit." He said these not so talented, not so tall players have grit. They have a focused determination and practice routine that exceeds beyond exceptional He described one player as "having been born with a great right handed shot but he practiced a left handed shot until it equals his right handed." (I can't do much of anything with my left hand and can't even imagine trying to hit a basketball shot or bat in baseball or write or even cook with my left hand.)

But I wonder if that would work with prayer. Sometimes when we are beginning to learn to pray, or when we return to prayer maybe after years of not "practicing" a prayer life, it feels awkward. I wonder if what it takes is a focused determination that exceeds beyond exceptional..."grit." I wonder if it feels awkward at first that we (I) just need to keep practicing.

I wonder if that works with forgiveness...if truly praying that I can move into forgiveness with someone who has hurt me..even if it feels awkward at first...that with focused determination and an exceptional practice routine...I can find that "peace that passes all understanding."

Dear God, give me prayerful grit.

Blessings-Penny