“The power of yet!” recently came out of the mouth of my nine-year-old great niece. She was literally quoting her first grade teacher, one of our Victorious Educator Ministries members. (If you ever doubt that you have an impact on your students, let this be a kind reminder that they remember your words and attitude even years after they were in your classroom!) The quote spoken in a casual conversation at my home has led to this week’s blog. How might we connect the “power of yet” to Biblical truth?
Since I first learned of Dr. Carol Dweck’s work, I’ve loved the contrast between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. If you’d like to review her work, it’s worth a quick YouTube search of videos or adding her books to your professional reading list. Her work has literally changed how I think and speak for several years, but for the first time this week I’ve added the challenge of thinking about her work from a spiritual perspective!
A few years ago, I tutored a six-year-old. Right away, I decided that he would benefit from the specific language and identification of concepts that promote a growth mindset. So, I used a photo album to create his very own “Growth Mindset Book.” When we worked each week, I would take a snapshot of him. The next week he would place the printed photo as an illustration to the page he thought it best fit. Listed below are a sampling of the phrases included in his book that I had gathered from research I had done on growth mindset. As you read them, think of yourself as the learner and do a quick check on how these statements feel to you.
● I am a good listener.
● I choose my attitude.
● Mistakes help me learn.
● I keep my body healthy.
● I am kind.
● I try new things.
● I can do hard things.
● I will keep trying even when it is really hard.
● I can set my own goal.
● I can have lots of fun.
● If I fail I can try again.
● I can ask for help.
● I can learn anything.
● New challenges make me stronger.
● Is this my best work?
● I am on the right track.
● I am not good at this YET, but I will learn.
● This may take some time and effort.
● I need some feedback and help from others.
● Even if I make a mistake, I will learn and get better.
● This is hard but I am not giving up.
What spiritual connections might we make? I automatically thought of how the power of yet might apply to desired healing, our longing for heaven, maturity, and perfection! I love this portion of Paul’s letter to the Philippians in chapter 3, verses 12-14.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Like Paul, I’m not there yet! I am looking ahead, striving daily to hit the mark of what God wants from me as His light in this dark world!
Let’s take the list of growth mindset phrases a step further by supporting a few of them with Scripture as we continue our learning as followers of Christ.
● I am a good listener.
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27)
● I keep my body healthy.
Do you not know that your bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
● I am kind.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. (1 Corinthians 13:4)
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)
● New challenges make me stronger.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-6)
● This is hard but I am not giving up. I can do hard things.
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12)
I hope this attempt at making connections between a really good professional book and the true Holy Word of God doesn’t seem disrespectful or too much of a stretch. My intent was to help us as Victorious Educators not only promote and model a growth mindset in our lives as Dr. Dweck would define but also to remind us of the continual growth our Father in heaven wants to see in us with the help of His Holy Spirit!
Whether you believe the “power of yet” is Biblical or not really isn’t as important as embracing Peter’s challenge to us. As believers, growing in our walk with Christ is a privilege to be embraced.
Make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-8