Week 3 Devotional | You Can Learn How to Do Hard Things

Mindsets are beliefs that you have about yourself and the world. It is how you see the world and it affects how you think, feel, and act.

One test of your mindset is how you answer the question, “Is the glass half full or half empty?”

How you see the water in the glass is your mindset. How you see, think, and feel about yourself is your mindset. How you see, think, and feel about the world is your mindset.

Science and research say that our mindset has a direct effect on our success. If we believe in ourselves and our ability to do hard things, we can do hard things. If we don’t believe in ourselves and our ability to do hard things, we won’t.

In the Bible, it is written that as a man thinks, so is he. The Bible also says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

You have the ability to learn how to do hard things. In fact, you can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13).

Having a Growth Mindset is believing that you have the ability to learn how to do hard things with time and with deliberate practice, and it is also in having faith in God that He will lead us and guide us along the best pathway for our lives, advise us, and watch over us (Psalm 32:8).

One example of how having a Growth Mindset can help you achieve your dreams is Hailey Van Lith. She is one of the best basketball players in the country. She said that when she was in the 4th grade, she and her dad made a commitment to spend time every day working on her game. We see her hitting big baskets as a star for the University of Louisville basketball team and for the US National Team, but we didn’t see the 2-hour workouts that they did every day after school and even after her high school practices.

Some kids are just more naturally talented than others. They might be bigger, stronger, and faster than others. Some kids learn faster than others, and we all know a kid or two who seems to master things with only a try or two.

That is talent, and there is nothing that we can do about that. But if we believe in ourselves and if we are willing to put in the work, we can learn, grow, and improve.

I tell my athletes the race to greatness is a race to 10,000 hours. Author Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book called Outliers, and in it, he shared how research has shown that it takes 10 years, or 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to really master something.

Andres Ericsson is the world’s expert on world experts; he studies what experts do to make them special. He says that deliberate practice has 4 key ingredients:

1 - Specific practice and goal

2 - Focus (100% Focus)

3 - Feedback (Information-rich)

4 - Refinement

You can run every day for a year and never get faster if you don’t have a specific goal, if you aren’t focused, if you don’t get some kind of feedback, and you don’t make any adjustments.

But if you do those things, you will see growth in anything that you do.

One Biblical example of having faith and a Growth Mindset is the story of Abraham. When Abraham was 75 years old, God said to him, “Go from your country, your people, and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭12:1-3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Abraham listened, and he had to leave everything he knew behind, but he did it because of his faith in God. Because of Abraham’s steadfast faith and his determined obedience, God guided him, advised him, and watched over him. Abraham had a son named Isaac when he was 100 years old, Isaac became the father of 12 sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel, and out of those 12 tribes came great historical figures and leaders like King David, Solomon, and Jesus.

Trust God with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6)."

Trust the process and enjoy the ride! Growth Mindset doesn’t mean that you will play at the best college in the country, and it doesn’t mean that you will be a professional athlete. But having a Growth Mindset means that you know that God has big plans for you. He has plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

If you want to be great, it starts with believing in yourself and believing that God truly has a plan for you. Then go put in the work and enjoy the journey.

5 Bible Verses About Growth Mindset:

1 - “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

- Philippians 4:13

2 - “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

- Jeremiah 29:11

3 - So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

- 1 Corinthians 10:31

4 - For God has not given us a spirit of fear: but of power, of love, and of self-discipline.

- 2 Timothy 1:7

5 - “I am God All-Powerful. If you obey me and always do right, I will keep my solemn promise to you and give you more descendants than can be counted.”

- Genesis 17:1-2

For a Google Doc version of this, click here: Week 3 Devotional