The God-centered mindset: faith that overcomes

What do McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc, first motorcycle inventor Soichiro Honda, renowned American painter Anna Mary Robertson Moses, and Jewish patriarchs Moses and Abraham have in common?

Not much. They come from various backgrounds, nationalities and beliefs. They have little in common, other than the fact that their names are synonyms of success, fortune or persevering faith. But there is another common feature that links these people together: Their biggest accomplishments did not happen until much later in life.

Ray Kroc, a milkshake salesman, purchased the McDonald brothers’ restaurant in California when he was 52 years old. After 6 years, he had over 200 McDonald’s franchises across America. Soichiro Honda was a car mechanic when he created the motorbike by attaching a small engine to a bicycle in 1940. He was 42 years old when he founded the Honda Motor Company. Anna Mary Robertson Moses, aka “Grandma Moses,” is one of the most celebrated names in American fine arts, but she did not paint anything until she was 76 years old! Moses’ paintings are displayed in the collections of several museums, and “Sugaring Off,” one of her masterpieces, was sold for $1.2 million in 2006.

And then we have Moses and Abraham, two giants of the Judeo-Christian faith. Moses received the assignment to lead God’s people out of Egyptian bondage when he was 80 years old. He was a murderer and a lowly shepherd when God redeemed his life and used him to perform some of the greatest miracles recorded in Scriptures. Abraham, founder of the Jewish faith, received God’s promise of a son who would become the first-born of the great nation of Israel when he was 100 years old!

“The best fruit blooms in the last harvest” — that is the anthem for their lives.

I came across an article about a study published by Carol Dweck, a researcher and professor of psychology at Stanford University. The study offers a reason as to why certain people are able to accomplish so much, regardless of their age or other obstacles that prevent others from persevering. A Yale graduate, Dweck is best known for her research on implicit theories of intelligence and how mindsets influence motivation and success. In her 2006 book “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,” the professor highlights that “individuals can be placed on a continuum according to their implicit views of where ability comes from.”

Dweck grouped people’s mindsets into two groups: Fixed Mindset individuals and Growth Mindset individuals. According to this theory, people with a Fixed Mindset believe that their success is based on their innate ability or intelligence. Fixed-mindset individuals dread failures and are easily swayed into quitting a task when facing an obstacle. People with a Growth Mindset, however, believe their success is based on hard work, training, learning and persistence. They see their failures as an opportunity to learn and grow, and do not give up until they reach their goals.

As I read about the “New” Psychology of Success, I could not help but smile as this thought crossed my mind: Growth Mindset is good, but God’s Mindset is better.

Throughout Scriptures, a common thread can be weaved, from Genesis to Revelation: There are no limits to what one can accomplish, whenever his or her goals are aligned with God’s plan. The person who fixes their eyes and heart on God’s omnipotence can indeed “do all things through him who strengthens them.” When they fall, he helps them get up and encourages them to try again. When their fears say they can’t, God reminds them they can. Indeed, people who understand God’s Mindset know it too well: There is no mountain too high, or river too deep that we cannot cross, when God is on our side.

A God-centered Mindset breaks every mold and overcomes all limitations. It is that mindset that propelled fearful Moses to hold out his staff as God parted the sea. It was that same mindset that gave 100-year-old Abraham the strength to believe that God would make him fertile … one last time. This mindset is not inborn and cannot be explained by the most illustrious professor. It is called faith, and it turns the most broken lives into success stories, even at the dawn of their days.