Romans 5: 3 – 6 “Not only so, but we[a] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
Moral strength can be defined as the courage to maintain firmness in beliefs regarding matters of life. It revolves around the virtue of humility, and especially when faced with adversity. Arguably, it is impossible to equate moral attitude to self – pride, for the two are like east and west; they never meet.
Those who undergo adversity, usually emerge more polished, humble and thankful for the sustenance through the difficulty, for by themselves, it is impossible to withstand the pain and the anguish that characterizes the nature of adversities. This explains the comments majority of those who survive are directed towards God, for through Him the courage to persevere is made available to all.
A friend shared through Facebook that, adversities are like sandpaper, they polish your attitude, scraping off the unwanted parts of life, and instilling the virtues that are beneficial to life. This process is often painful, and those who endure to the end, are stronger and more courageous, as clay in a potter’s hands.
The scriptures talk of the ability to endure long suffering, while pressing on towards the goal, according to Paul in Philippians 3:12.
In the Christian faith, the message of the Gospel calls for believers to anchor themselves deep into the Word, that they shall develop strong roots to sustain growth in faith; eventually flourish and bear good fruits in abundance, despite the evil temptations or criticism. This enables them thrive in the heat of adversity, emerging stronger believers.
Adversities also tend to open the eyes of its subject in relation to worship. They expose the danger of being ‘caught up’ in material wealth, while providing a new, reliable and eternal form of investment, which is in Christ Jesus. The life of Job reflects the attitude with which we, as believers should emulate, when it comes to withstanding adversities; that God will confidently testify of our faith and trust in Him, and not in His blessing to us. Our worship to Him will not be a form of thanking Him for the blessings, but plainly because He is God.
Despite his adversity, Job “sinned not, nor charged God foolishly” (Job 1:22). Through adversity, we emerge stronger in our morals and worship to God