GROWING TOGETHER

How do we practice fortitude? In one sense we don’t, really. It is much more a quality of life than it is particular actions. God is far more interested in people of a particular sort than he is in particular actions. And, in reality, all of the virtues are aimed at developing a certain kind of person, a person who will naturally respond to life’s situations with love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and graciousness and faithfulness and gentleness and self-control.

Having said that, let’s consider a few exercises which can at least help us think about fortitude more.

1. Reflect on an experience in your past where fortitude would have been a great asset to you. Maybe it was a time of real fear or danger. Or perhaps you quit too quickly in a situation where persistence would have brought a better result. Think about that experience “with God”. Maybe confession is needed. Perhaps God can help you to live beyond the regrets of the past. What preparation or life experiences would you have needed in order to respond differently when you were in the situation? What could you be doing now so that the needed resources are yours for when a similar situation arises?

2. Identify one person in your life that best exemplifies fortitude to you. What is it about this person that makes them such a sterling example of this virtue for you? Does this person act or behave in a particular way? Is it a special quality of character? Is it that you can almost instinctively trust this person to be there when you need him/her? What is it specifically that you admire? Now, consider how this person came to be this way. What set of circumstances influenced his/her life? What teachings? Was there a particular kind of community or church life that contributed? Are these elements that are missing in your life? If so, are there things you can do to make up for the lack?

3. In certain situations courage and persistence is not exactly the right response. Sometimes we can jump into a situation thinking we are being heroic when we are really being bullheaded and we only make the situation worse. Or we may stick with a project long after we should have abandoned it; we thought we were being persistent when we were only being imprudent. Can you think of a situation like this in your past? Were there any signals which you ignored that, if heeded, would have helped you to see that your actions were misguided? What lessons can you learn from this past experience?