For several years, I’ve collected fortune cookie fortunes. My collection has grown very slowly since my move to Louisiana, mostly because Chinese food doesn’t make up as much of my diet as it did in Atlanta. But I’ve hung onto one of the few fortunes I’ve gotten here because it was a bit perplexing to me for a while. It says:

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

WHAT DOES IT MEEAAN?

For me, it means that all of this work that I’ve done to become a virtuous person can now be put to the test.  It means that if I move forward with courage and in faith, these virtues that I’ve developed will be tested.

And they’re constantly tested. One of the biggest ways they’re tested is with how I spend my time. There are so many distractions in this city–so many festivals, so many enticing reasons not to do my work. Most of the time it does take courage to say “no.”

It takes courage to question what others think is good for you and to trust what you know is good for you. But in the end, it feels really good to pass the test.

What do you think? Have a different take on the fortune? Leave it in the comments below.