Faith, Spunk, and Gumption

One of the best compliments I've ever received was given to me by a coworker at Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries. I earned the reputation of being the cashier who called out the burgers with flare: "Got one!" "Got a little!" And so, right before I set out from my first job into the wild unknown of New York City, a fellow potato slicer said to my boss, "Alyssa's got spunk."

I still get shivers from that high praise.

That compliment has also made me rethink what I would like to hear from God when he judges whether or not I've pleased him. "Well done, good and spunky servant, enter into the reward you have earned."

Faith is a lot like that great word gumption. Here, look what adding a synonym does to these famous faith passages (bolded words are where faith is replaced with a slightly more daring word).

Matthew 6:30
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little guts?

Matthew 8:5-10

When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ⁶“Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

⁷ Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

⁸ The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great gumption.

Matthew 8:26

“You of little spirit, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

Matthew 9:22
Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your spunk has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

Matthew 15:25-28

The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

²⁶ He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

²⁷ “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

²⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great nerve! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Mark 2:1-12 * This is my favorite: imagine Jesus watching these guys cut a hole in the roof to help this man. That's spunk. That's gumption. That's friendship.*

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man

¹ A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. ² They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. ³ Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. ⁴ Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. ⁵ When Jesus saw their true grit, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

⁶ Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ⁷ “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

⁸ Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? ⁹ Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? ¹⁰ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, ¹¹ “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” ¹² He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

When I act with guts, God responds in kind. Ah! I love it!