Our final virtue in the series. Keep going; you can do it!
Labor omnia vincit.
– Virgil, Georgics
(Hard work conquers all.)
I get the strangest feeling that I’ve seen this phrase before… Except it was with a different subject… And turned into… what, memes? Are they still memes if they’re (intended to be) inspirational rather than humorous?
Not nearly as likely as my Paint-ing people getting even weirder looking, though.
What is Fortitude?
Fortitude – courage in pain or adversity; Middle English via French from Latin fortitudo, from fortis ‘strong’
– Oxford dictionary
In other words, fortitude is keeping on when the going gets tough. It’s sticking to your guns when someone calls you out, or pushing toward the goal even though a dozen new obstacles sprung up overnight. It’s choosing the long term over the short term. It’s ignoring the buzz of a text because you’ve got a project to complete. Fortitude is the opposite of, “Squirrel!”
Fortitude is perseverance when stamina is running low and resolve is threadbare. Fortitude is getting up in the morning when all seems lost and doing the best you can. Fortitude is taking the next step forward knowing full well it may mean three steps back.
Fortitude means courage; [it’s for] anybody that’s been in battle, anybody that’s been through difficult times.
– Fr. Ben Bradshaw of Memphis, TN
Fortitude is doing the next right thing even when your feet are sore, your eyelids are drooping, and your brain aches. It’s trying regardless of the circumstances.
Importance of the Virtue
Without fortitude, flexing the muscle of the rest of the virtues may not matter. Why? Because you can’t exercise virtue if fear paralyzes you. All of the virtues are important and interdependent, and fortitude isn’t even in the top three (cue faith, hope, and love), but without it we may not act on any virtue.
Fortitude is the guard and support of the other virtues; and without courage a man will scarce keep steady to his duty … True fortitude [is] the quiet possession of a man’s self, and an undisturbed doing his duty, whatever evil besets, or danger lies in his way.
– John Locke, Complete Works
What Fortitude Isn’t
Sometimes we mistake a good thing with its extreme version. Remember, moderation is also a virtue; anything taken to an extreme is probably not a good thing. (And for you jokesters, no, a “good” to the extreme is not necessarily “great,” either.)
Are you doing too much? Are you taking on more than is good for you because you are trying to be strong? Do you feel like it’s up to you to solve every problem you get wind of, like the weight of the world is on your shoulders?
We were made to be courageous, steadfast on the path and firm in our trust of the Lord. Courageous doesn’t mean foolish. It doesn’t mean unnecessarily sticking our necks out to prove that we have guts. It’s not mistreating ourselves to make a point. Self-care isn’t sinful; indeed, we’re supposed to be good stewards of our bodies as one of the many gifts entrusted to us.
Have you ever skipped caring for yourself because you thought it was selfish? Consider this your wake-up call. You need to be at your best to help others. I’m not saying spoil yourself, but you do need to take time for yourself: sleep, eat, exercise, wash, and work out the logistics of life. (Logistics include things like working and budgeting to take care of rent and other bills.) You need down time, too, to recuperate and prepare for tasks coming down the pipeline.
Still wary of taking care of yourself? Here’s a question for you: if you were tasked with keeping God’s house in order while He was out of town, would you treat the task with importance, even reverence? Would your level of care change when He came back and asked you to stay and keep up the good work?
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If any one destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and that temple you are.
– 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
The Holy Spirit dwells in you. That makes you God’s holy temple. Take care of God’s holy temple: take care of yourself!
Summary
Fortitude is the courage and perseverance to continue on despite trials and tribulations. It’s facing the demons, figurative and literal, that try to stop you. It’s asking for help when the obstacles become too much for you to handle alone. It is not exploiting yourself, but rather, requires that you care for yourself so that you can carry out your mission.
And yes, you have at least one current mission: if you didn’t, you wouldn’t have been born and if you completed all of them you’d’ve been called home by now. So take care of yourself so you can complete your mission!
Behold My servant, whom I uphold,
– Isaiah 42:1-98
My chosen, in whom My soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him,
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not fail or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.
Thus says God, the Lord,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and what comes from it,
Who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
“I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
a light to the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
I am the Lord, that is My name;
My glory I give to no other,
nor My praise to graven images.”
Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Tips on facing down demons? Let me know in the comments!
Usually I don’t read post on blogs, however I would like to say that this write-up very pressured me to check out and do so! Your writing taste has been surprised me. Thank you, very great post.