day no. 16,979: courage makes the cut

“For the only courage worth calling courage must necessarily mean that the soul passes a breaking point and does not break.” — G.K. Chesterton

There is no such thing as untested courage. Courage is what we call passing the test. It is the word we apply to what makes it through. 

“Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” — C.S. Lewis

Untested virtue is not virtue. It may be virtue in seed form, but it has not yet matured to earn that medal of honor. Only after the seed has survived the test can it rightly be called virtue.

1 Kings 20:11

Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.

You should not be content to call yourself brave until you have come back from battle. Do not boast before you have survived the conflict and stood your ground. You should not brag about victory before the battle begins, but only after it is finished (and even then, maybe not).

Proverbs 20:6

Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness:

but a faithful man who can find?

Do not proclaim your faithfulness before you face your fears. It is easier to call yourself "faithful" beforehand than it is to be faithful after the fact There are more who want to wear the crown than those who finish the race to obtain it.

Proverbs 24:10

If thou faint in the day of adversity,

thy strength is small.

Strength boasted of beforehand is weakness. If it is only strong until it isn't, it isn't strong at all.