Fortitude

            If you are at all like me, you probably have no idea what that word means. I only learned of this wonderful word because of a Christmas present my husband bought me. On the Shoulders of Hobbits: the Road to Virtue with Tolkein and Lewis by Louis Markos contains a chapter titled ‘The Courage to Endure’. Fortitude expresses the steadiness of character that is lacking so often in our lives today. Frodo is probably one of the best examples of fortitude. With everything set against him, he faithfully sets one foot in front of the other, heading towards a mountain that in all likelihood will defeat him. Now, while sometimes I feel like Frodo, I know that because I am a child of God, I do not tread a road towards my ultimate demise. On the contrary, I tread the only road towards happiness, blessing, and grace for all eternity! The path might be filled with obstacles, and they might even be large and scary obstacles, but those obstacles will run out, and then, oh then the gate to the Celestial City!

            I find myself thinking about fortitude today, mostly because I have had a pretty rough weekend. I was ill, and as you ladies can probably identify with, emotionally a wreck. While there is a perfectly logical explanation for these ridiculous mood swings, when I am in the midst of them it seems as though I am stuck in a whirlpool with no way out. Looking back on those hours of almost despair, I wonder if they would be lessened by a greater portion of fortitude in my life. Practicing fortitude, the steady, everyday courage of knowing that each step is as important as the last, well it doesn’t really exist in my life. Yet, I don’t think classical scholars would have included it in the list of virtues if it truly had no value in life.

            I pray for you, my sisters, that God would pour an extra measure of fortitude in your life. May we learn together the value of steady endurance, courage that only is revealed after years of constant effort. In our world today, it is easy to get caught up in the instant reward of so many things. I challenge you this week to look for the things that have taken years to accomplish and think about how valued those accomplishments are to you.