Tag: Courage

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The Cardinal Virtues for the Christian Life, Part 5: Resolute Endurance (Fortitude)

In the 1920s, Clarence Keith wanted to leave the United States and serve as a missionary in South Africa. In those days, you had to mail in paperwork, get visas approved, and hope everything turned out alright when you arrived at the boat (not the plane!) to cross the ocean.

Clarence arrived in New York a couple of days before his departure, but the visa was not ready. The trip was cancelled. He returned to his home in southern Indiana to contemplate his next steps.

Roberta McMillan had attended God’s School of the Bible at the same time as Clarence. She also applied to be a missionary. She was refused because the organization did not want to send her as a single woman.

She also returned home to contemplate her next steps.

When you want to do something big in the world, setbacks and opposition are inevitable. What will you do when you hit a wall?

To keep going forward, you need resolute endurance. That’s the fourth cardinal virtue. It is sometimes called fortitude or courage. It is the ability to keep going and continue doing good when things get hard.

How the Bible Describes This
Resolute endurance is a common theme in the Bible. In living the Christian life and seeking to do good works, you will face opposition. You need the strength of endurance to keep going.

Jesus is the model here. He set before Himself a great goal: the redemption of the world. That mission meant opposition and the cross (Heb. 12:1–3). We are to consider His example and prepare ourselves to follow it.

One word the Bible uses for this virtue is patience. People develop at different rates, process things differently, and sometimes oppose us. The Apostle Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to recognize these differences and respond wisely. He said, “warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak . . .” (1 Thess. 5:14). But then he added a universal command: “be patient with all.”

Getting people to work together takes patience. That is the fourth virtue applied to ordinary relationships.

Another biblical word for this virtue is perseverance. It refers to our ability to keep doing good in the face of opposition.

Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27).

Some people hear this as a reaction: wait until someone harms you, then try to do them good. But I think Jesus intends something deeper: do as much good as you can, and don’t let the evil actions of others deter you from continuing to do good—even toward those who wrong you.

Paul captured this beautifully: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21).

That is the principle. Keep doing good no matter what.

Why? To let evil triumph? No. Ultimately, to overcome it with good.

This is where hope comes in. Hope is the oxygen of resolute endurance.

The Need for Hope
Consider Jesus again. What kept Him going?

A vision of the good: “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2).

We do not endure suffering for suffering’s sake. We endure suffering for the sake of the good.

How can we have hope? Let’s consider the hope we have for ourselves and the hope we can have for the good we seek to do in the world.

First, what hope do we have for ourselves when we face hardship? That God will turn it for our good.

The Apostle Paul explains this promise: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28).

Some people hear this and think: God will bring good out of this, but we do not know what that good is. While it is true we cannot see everything God is doing, Paul actually tells us what that good is: “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son . . .” (Rom. 8:29).

The good that God is working in His people is transformation—making them more like Jesus.

This purpose gives us hope when life is hard. In fact, it allows us to rejoice even in suffering.

Earlier in Romans, Paul wrote: “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Rom. 5:3–4).

This is something people already know from experience: going through hard things can make you stronger. You grow. You learn.

That is Paul’s point. The greatest heroes pass through the greatest trials. Great threats often produce great victories.

But in this case, victory is not uncertain. In Christ, it is assured. That is why there is real hope.

What about the good we seek to do in the world? Can we hope that our efforts will matter?

Yes.

Paul explains the principle this way: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9).

This promise does not refer only to individual growth. It refers to the good we do for others.

Paul continues: “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Gal. 6:10).

Doing good is not only good in itself. It also produces results. It makes an impact.

This is the vision we must keep before us when we encounter setbacks. Continuing to pursue the good will be good for us, good for others, and bring glory to God.

The Resolute Endurance of Clarence & Roberta
Clarence Keith and Roberta McMillan shared their experiences with each other through letters. Over time, they came to a conclusion.

They should go to the mission field—and they should go together as husband and wife.

About a year after their initial setback, they set off by boat for what was then Swaziland. They made the difficult journey to this landlocked nation and began a mission.

They carried sweet potatoes and biltong (a form of beef jerky) into the bush on long treks and shared the Gospel.

They raised children—eight of them, in fact. They milked cows and later had their children help milk them to provide milk for the family. They raised their own food. They ordered clothing patterns from the Sears catalogue and made clothes for their children.

Decades later, God called them to another mission in what was then Southern Rhodesia. God provided funds for a medical mission that is still operating today in what is now Zambia.

What if they had given up?

None of that good would have been done.

They could have enjoyed a comfortable life in America, no doubt. But the greater good would have remained undone.

I also would not be here, because they are my great-grandparents.

In 2014, I preached a sermon on legacy to more than 100 descendants and spouses of Clarence and Roberta.

That moment has remained a constant reminder: do not give up—even when life is hard, even when obstacles appear.

It is a living testimony to God’s promise: we shall reap, if we faint not.

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The Ancient Path of Moral Excellence (The Four Cardinal Virtues)

Long before Jesus came, people were already asking what it meant to live well. The ancient philosophers said that a good life isn’t just about rules or avoiding bad behavior. It’s about becoming the kind of person who naturally chooses what is good. They spoke of four key habits—prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance—that together form what they called the “cardinal virtues,” the path of moral excellence.

Centuries later, Christian theologians saw that this ancient insight lined up beautifully with the life of Jesus. He didn’t just teach the right way—He lived it perfectly. Jesus saw the truth clearly (prudence), lived for the good of others (justice), endured suffering for the sake of love (fortitude), and remained total self-control and peace (temperance). The virtues, then, aren’t a rival to Jesus’ way—they describe His character and show what His Spirit forms in us as we follow Him.

Josef Pieper, a twentieth-century Christian philosopher, brought this old wisdom to life again in his short book The Four Cardinal Virtues. He called it “the wisdom of the ancients” that had “inexhaustible contemporaneity,” a perpetual relevance (xii). Let’s walk the path together.

Continue reading “The Ancient Path of Moral Excellence (The Four Cardinal Virtues)”

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How Risky Is It, Really?

Bears are much scarier than cars. You will pass hundreds of cars, if you drive through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. You may see a bear, but you very well may not. I could only find one instance of a bear killing a person in the GSMNP (on May 21, 2000). However, in 2019, Nine people were killed in car wrecks in the GSMNP.

Some things are scary that will not harm us. Some things will harm us that are not scary. Actual rather than perceived risks to life and health are what we should be most concerned about. So, how do we get past what is scary but what is not risky? How do we learn to take precautions when things are risky but not scary? In other words, how can we be sure that we are doing the right things to keep us safe and healthy? That’s what David Ropeik’s book, How Risky Is It, Really? Why Our Fears Don’t Always Match the Facts is all about (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010).

What Ropeik does is try to help us see what makes things feel risky or scary to us. Then, he provides advice on how to get better at evaluating actual risk.

Ropeik suggests that there are eleven things that make people, situations, or things more scary.

  1. Trust. When trust is low, fear is higher. For example, if we don’t trust our government, what they tell us to do feels scarier, even if it is not. The converse is also true as well.
  2. Loss. This is complicated, but if the potential loss is great, then it feels scarier, even if it is not a great risk. Losing a house to a tornado feels scarier than having credit cards, even though the latter is more likely to bring you to financial ruin.
  3. Control. If we feel in control, we feel safe. Airplanes are much safer than automobiles. However, in an automobile, we feel more in control. Continue reading “How Risky Is It, Really?”
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To Be Brave Is Not the Same As to Have No Fear

Josef Pieper (1904–1997) was a Roman Catholic theologian and philosopher from Elte, Westphalia, Germany. He imbibed the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas but thought deeply about the rest of the Western tradition, ancient and modern (read a little more about him here). I have found his work a particularly helpful guide to thinking deeply and clearly about what it means to live rightly as a human being. His most famous work is Leisure: the Basis of Culture. If you want to get a sense of the breadth of his work, An Anthology, which he compiled at the end of his life is a great place to start.

In his book, The Four Cardinal Virtues, he describes the four virtues that the ancients considered basic to any good and virtuous life: wisdom, justice, courage (which he calls fortitude here), and temperance or self-control. In this scary time, I think we need very clear thinking about courage and fear. I found these few paragraphs a really good summary of the best I have read on the subject in the Western tradition:

To be brave is not the same as to have no fear. Indeed, fortitude actually rules out a certain kind of fearlessness that is based upon a false appraisal and evaluation of reality. Such fearlessness is either blind or deaf to real danger, or else is the result of a perversion of love. For fear and love depend on each other, and he who loves falsely, fears falsely. One who has lost the will to live does not fear death. But this indifference to life is far removed from genuine fortitude, it is, indeed, an inversion of the natural order. Fortitude recognizes, acknowledges, and maintains the natural order of things. The brave man is not deluded; he sees that the injury he suffers is an evil. He does not undervalue and falsify reality; he “likes the taste” of reality as it is, real; he does not love death nor does he despise life. Fortitude presupposes in a certain sense that a man is afraid of evil; its essence lies not in knowing no fear, but in not allowing oneself to be forced into evil by fear, or to be kept by fear from the realization of good. Continue reading “To Be Brave Is Not the Same As to Have No Fear”

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Courage

In the movie The Lord of the Rings, the soldiers of Gondor have moved back to the second level of defenses in the face of Mordor’s onslaught. Something unknown is banging at at the gates trying to get through. Then Gandalf says, “Whatever comes through those gates, you will stand your ground!”

What if we could approach every day like that? Whatever comes out the gates today, I will stand my ground?

What if we could face the scariest situations with calm and thoughtfulness without even losing our joy?

For many, this seems like an impossible goal, yet this is our calling as humans and Christians. Doing what is right and good and just is our duty and calling no matter how challenging or scary things get. This takes courage.

So, why are we so afraid? Why do we have so much anxiety? Why do we fall apart every time there is something difficult or unexpected?

Well, have we really worked at it? Have we really tried to become courageous people? And, what would it look like to work at it?

Let’s begin by considering what courage is.

Courage requires threats. It’s no virtue to move forward when things are easy. Entering into a contest you will easily win is not courageous.

Second, courage is not being rash or imprudent. Entering into dangerous situations just for fun is foolish not courageous.

Third, courage is not lacking fear. Fear and anxiety are natural human responses to threats that can even be helpful when the threat is real. To be anxious about riding a boat into a lightning storm on the lake is a good thing.

So, what is courage? Courage is being able to move forward in the face of our fears. Courage is saying I will do my duty even though it’s hard. Courage is holding to our principles when others want us to compromise. Courage is staying in a difficult place when we need to. Courage is being able to keep our head and heart when we face real threats.

If courage is so useful and good, then how do we develop it?

Let me give you four suggestions.

First, think about your principles. What are the things that you stand for? What things will you not compromise? What are your basic principles? What would you fight for? What would you die for?

Second, think about your threats. Don’t fear what you don’t need to fear. An astonishing number of threats that we feel on a day to day basis are either imagined or remote. For some reason, I’ve always freaked out over spilled drinks. I have seven kids, and so it’s happened a lot. Then, one day, a year or so ago, I realized: this is not a real threat. It’s not something to be afraid of. I can easily clean up the spill. Over time, I’ve learned to have less or no anxiety over spills. It’s been better for me. It’s been better for my family.

Third, think differently about scary situations. See yourself standing firm. Think about what would calm you when you are afraid. A Christian has a lot of resources, but one thing God always says when He calls people to difficult tasks is: “I will be with you.” That promise can fortify us in challenging situations.

Fourth, test your courage in small situations. Learn to say “no” when you think you should and are afraid to. Learn to gently share your opinion, even when you fear that others may react strongly. Learn to say “yes” when there’s no real reason to be afraid. We can train ourselves in the small things to have courage when the bigger threats arise.

Courage is not an option. The Bible tells us: “Be watchful. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong” (1 Cor. 16:13). However, it’s not only a command. It’s a good way to live. It means that we can go forward and do our duty and experience joy even in the face of the hard and scary realities of life. If doing what is right is good, courage is what enables us to do it at all times, even when it’s scary or hard.

Courage, my friends!

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