Does God make you mentally tougher?

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Curious11

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Does belief in God make us mentally tougher than we otherwise would be? By mental toughness I don’t mean anything other being able to carry the cross of everyday, stress, failure, insecurity…
 
Judging by the torture endured by the many martyrs without apostasy, I am moved to say yes
 
Read about St. Perpetua and St. Felicity. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:
 
It consists primarily with fortitude - with that harmony with the other virtues, theological and cardinal.

“Wherefore after charity and joy, “peace” is given the third place. In evil things the mind has a good disposition, in respect of two things. First, by not being disturbed whenever evil threatens: which pertains to “patience”; secondly, by not being disturbed, whenever good things are delayed; which belongs to “longsuffering,” since “to lack good is a kind of evil” (Ethic. v, 3).” (Summa Theologicae, I-II, q. 70. a. 3, c.)

Patience and longsuffering are virtues under the cardinal virtue of fortitude.
 
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The most comforting words in this regard I find in the Book of Tobit 12:13 and were spoken by the Archangel Raphael.
Douay-Rheims: “And because thou wast acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove thee.”

Knox: “Then, because thou hadst won his favour, needs must that trials should come, and test thy worth.”
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The testing (and toughening) occurs because God found us acceptable. Can there be any more comforting words?
 
He made me less afraid if myself. So yes.
He also made me look at small things with more joy. He knows me and stuff I used to love to do as a child but grownups didn’t let me. Like washing floors, cooking (especially the slicing) and prayer helps me concentrate better. Like when we are kids we can learn new stuff easy. After we grow up we lose our patience and we are less interested in just learning something new. Like… a new software for example.
 
Like gold refined in fire, the gifts that we are all given at Baptism/Confirmation are strengthened through acts of mercy, through suffering and through trials. By resisting temptation our faith is made stronger. Through fasting and prayer we grow as Christians.
 
God wants us to become more, more like His Son, who possessed every human virtue at its maximal state.

So the answer is Yes.

He wants us to use all our heart, soul, mind and strength to love Him and others.

And He also wants us to be as a child, trusting in Him as a child trust his father.

He wants to move up these seemingly-opposing (but not really) inclined planes toward Him.
 
Knowing that is is necessary, we tend to dislike testing, whether in school, the medical field or in the spiritual realm. Yet, testing proves and improves. Knowledge that God is doing the testing should be of great comfort to us, as He will not test without offering the grace to withstand the testing. When we choose to accept that grace, we are truly blessed - even in suffering. Especially in suffering, as that bonds us more fully, more intimately to Christ, the suffering Servant.
 
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