Faith or Fortitude? Chicken or Egg?

I was thinking about fortitude when it comes to faith, and I got caught in a little bit of a chicken-or-the egg scenario. To me, faith is the ability to endure when we don’t know what the future holds but we sure hope it includes growth, connection, love, and abundance. Faith requires some fortitude, but fortitude also requires faith - you can see where I got a little hung up. 

The reality is, as we develop faith in ourselves, a lot changes whether we like it or not. There is plenty to like, in my view. Cultivating authenticity seems easier. We become less preoccupied with fitting in and more concerned with our own purpose or meaning, regardless of the people, places, or things that have to fall by the way side to make room. I can’t say enough good things about the value of finding purpose and meaning. It is the throughline to help us weather any storm, and research shows it is an important part of living a fulfilled life. 

It’s hard to be authentic when we’re worried about what everyone else thinks. Let’s be real - there are a lot of wounded, faithless souls walking around in the world, self-medicating through drugs, money, achievement, relationships (note: I didn’t say good ones), and maybe a little click-bait rage. I’m not sure that group-think is the standard any of us actually want to live by. 

One thing I have learned about faith is there are stages, almost like in childhood development. We master a set of skills, we acquire a little bit of faith, and then we’re ready for more. Life challenges us further, almost because we are ready. Those shifts in our own constitution make it difficult to carry on with bad business as usual.

Certain relationships become intolerable, no matter how much we loved people during that earlier time in our development. We are ready for more responsibility at work, because we just know we are capable of handling it now. We feel ready to take a risk we wouldn’t have imagined taking before, like ending a bad marriage or going back to school or stepping away from a toxic environment. Over time and with a lot of practice, faith is fortifying. 

But it also takes a little fortitude to even test faith out. It takes a willingness to just sally forth (what an expression, I love it) and get on with living despite what may be a lot of fear or apprehension. If our hopes and dreams end up smashed up against a brick wall, we have to will ourselves to collect the pieces and look around for a path forward and, eventually, a positive result after the smashing. 

I have chased quite a few dreams in my life. For a time I was worried I might never find what I was looking for, but I have found it. It is no coincidence I found it at the same time I was making a real commitment to believing in Good (or God). As I have cultivated faith, I am more settled in myself, more conscious of my own capabilities, and more clear on my own values. I am able to accept myself for who I actually am, rather than trying to force myself to be someone I am not for the benefit of others. 

So, if you are testing out defining faith for yourself, just know that it comes in stages. If you find yourself being confronted with a challenge, consider having faith that you are ready to take it on. And if you’re not ready, faith can help us endure while we cultivate new skills and new self-awareness. It’s annoying, but faith is full of win-wins.