The Gritty Road to Heaven

Charisse Tierney reflects on how grit helps her turn her failings into ways to move forward on her journey to heaven.

I recently read an entire book about grit.  

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines grit as “firmness of character; indomitable spirit.”  

Angela Duckworth, the author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, defines grit as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals.”  

Grit is an admirable, even necessary quality. Without at least a little grit, we would never get out of bed to face another day with a spirited toddler. We would quit our job after the first rough day. We would give up on talking to our teenagers after one heated, eye roll filled conversation.  

Grit helps us to see the bigger picture and persevere. We know the toddler will continue to grow and strengthen in character. The failures at our job will help us see how to improve. The eye rolling teenager will one day be a capable adult, grateful that we stayed by their side.  

This is how the world tells us that grit works. Duckworth’s book gives examples of people who have found success through grit, from professional athletes to professional musicians. Their stories include years of hard work and perseverance; and even though they also share many of their failures, they ultimately point to the success they have achieved in the world’s eyes. 

What Is my Definition of Success?  

I have to admit that I love books like this. The stories are inspiring, and I come away from reading them feeling empowered. I start to believe that if I only work hard enough, I can do anything … until I can’t. All too often, no matter how hard I work, I fall short as a parent, a working professional, a friend, or a wife. All too often, circumstances beyond my control enter my life and force me to reevaluate my definition of success.  

Even when I try to embrace God’s will, to transform my soul, to use this Lenten season to change my bad habits once and for all … I fall short. Failure forces me to look it squarely in the face and accept it as a consistent part of my life. And it is when I accept it that I can know it. I start to view it as a mirror that reveals the tug of war between my will and His. Failure shows me when to continue to draw on grit to live out His plan for my life … and when to draw on grit to give me the strength to let go of those things He never intended for me to do in the first place. 

Grit Was Meant to Live in Harmony with Surrender 

When grit lives in harmony with surrender, the failings of this world are cast in a different light. The big picture gets bigger, and He illuminates our rocky path with the constant light of heaven.  

Achievement is admirable. Success in sharing God given talents and amazing the world with stunning gifts is inspiring. But sometimes we are called to use the strength of grit in a different way. Sometimes it is meant to help us keep walking in the opposite direction of the rest of the world.  

The hidden sufferers, the cast-offs, the misfits of the world display a type of grit that we can all learn from. The type of grit that keeps a beaming smile upon the face of a cancer patient. The type of grit that allows an elderly man to accept his failing eyesight and weakening limbs. The type of grit that helps the caregivers of this world maintain a cheerful attitude and a willingness to give the disabled the respect they deserve.  

Because real grit is falling again and again and again … and getting up again and again and again … only to be crucified. 

Which doesn’t make any sense until we see God’s face and grasp the magnitude of his mercy that is continually nourished by the grittiness of silent suffering.  

As Holy Week comes to a close and the joy of Easter awaits, I pray I can continue to grow in a willingness to embrace the beauty of suffering. Especially when failure seems pointless, when hardships are overwhelming, when discouragement rears its ugly head … that is when suffering evolves into something that reaches far beyond my personal salvation. That is when suffering becomes the redemptive gift that the world needs. That is when I have the opportunity to become more like Christ who gave all on the Cross.  

As a good friend once told me, “God has a lot of work to do in me.”  

The road to heaven isn’t easy. But God gave us the gift of grit to stay the course so that one day all of our failings will be seen for what they really are — chances to get up so we can fall again, until we are truly ready to be filled with the fullness of God’s glory in heaven. 

Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

Copyright 2025 Charisse Tierney
Images: Canva