Wine Dinners & a Gritty Faith

• Throughout my college career I was fortunate to have a job at a beautiful country club tucked in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Last night, I worked my very last wine dinner there. These wine dinners happen quarterly and consist of roughly six courses, each with a corresponding wine course. For these wine dinners the respective winemaker, owner, or CEO from the vineyard travels in to present about their wine. Over the years its been really cool to hear the stories of success, failure, and grit from experts in their field.

Last night, the CEO of this particular wine company shared something profound.  As I poured wine at each of the tables I listened to the CEO explain a concept the owners frequently shared. They said some of the oldest vines in their vineyard were brought to California from France decades ago. She explained the vines that came from France are often overlooked in the vineyard by guests because they aren’t the prettiest vines. They look like they’re struggling because they have weathered many seasons, some of prosperity but also many of drought/hardship. She said, similarly to people who struggle, these seemingly underwhelming vines often produce the wine with the most character because of what they have endured.

This got me thinking. How many people are living a life defined by their circumstances? Many people that society overlooks or counts out frequently are rich in character because of what they have endured. But if we let our circumstances determine the outcomes then we will never see the fruit on the other side of hardship.

Likewise, many of the people in the Bible that God utilized were not the rich or the successful, but those with meager beginnings. Many were disenfranchised, or by cultures standards, dealt a crappy hand. Take David for example (1 Samuel 16:1-13). He was a poor shepherd boy overlooked by his own family, but God saw his true identity even when everyone around him (including himself) didn’t. Or take Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18). In a culture that viewed women closer to property than people, Jesus chose to use her as the first individual to witness that he had risen from the dead. If you think that God is not for women, you are sadly mistaken. He bolstered her and gave her a voice and a purpose far greater than society allowed. Or take Paul for example (Ephesians 6:20, Acts 16:22-38). Much of his ministry was done out of a jail cell. Though he faced physical confinement, he was filled with joy, and God made a way for Paul’s letters/testimony to impact people hundreds of miles beyond the four walls that entrapped him.

These individuals weren’t distinguished by the family they were born into or their possessions, but by their gritty faith. You could be born with all the talent in the world but if you rely on that alone, it’s not going to get you very far. Grit is about pursuing/pushing past obstacles because you know the outcome, which is always victory when you’re in Christ. We may not know the details of how everything comes together, but with Jesus we can live from a place of confidence, understanding that regardless of circumstances God will use our hardship for good. There is a joy and an assuredness that comes from a relationship with Christ, but that doesn’t mean we won’t face hard things.

When I think of what it means to have a gritty faith, I think of Abraham and Sarah. They waited 25 years from the time God promised them a son until the birth of their son Issac. Abraham and Sarah’s obedience and trust in the not yet developed their character and strengthened their faith and trust in God. It makes me reflect on what the Issac’s of my own life are and what I am quick to doubt God in.

Regardless, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have heard the stories the CEO shared last night. It iterated the importance of not underestimating what God can do even when circumstances seem all encapsulating, which is a lesson I will carry with me long after leaving the country club.