“Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortunes; but great minds rise above them.” (Washington Irving)
Discouragement is the great enemy of preparation. It feeds on little misfortunes. It does so, that is, in those of “little minds”. “Great minds”, on the other hand, according to Irving and to common experience, rise above misfortunes and the discouragement they foster. Great minds do not fall prey to discouragement. How then may a man or woman lay hold of this “great mindedness”?
As with all other virtues, greatness of mind must be nurtured by regular and persistent practice. Greatness of mind grows by feeding upon great matters. These great matters are what the Apostle Paul calls, “the things above” (Colossians 3:2). You are what you think even more than what you eat. By setting your mind on good things, heavenly things, your mind will grow toward greatness. A great mind will put off selfishness. A great mind will seek the good of others. A great mind will resemble the mind of Christ, “who, though He was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant….” (Philippians 2:6-7).
This Day in Church History
April 16, 304 AD – Three Sisters Burned Alive for Refusing to Renounce Christ – In the Italian city of Aquileia, three beautiful sisters, Chionia, Agapia, and Irene, joined the hosts of faithful martyrs by refusing to eat food sacrificed to idols. When asked by the governor, Dulcitius, from whom they had learned their strange ideas, Chionia said, “From our Lord Jesus Christ”. The governor could not make them apostatize and so the sisters were burned alive.