If you want to build moral strength, you need a source or resistance to exercise your moral muscles. Adversity provides that source of resistance. As you face adversity, you will have the chance to grow stronger.

This resistance comes in the form of a moral choice. The weight of the choice is related to the potential consequences of the choice. You can measure your moral strength by how much “weight” you can lift. Consider the following anecdote.

Winston Churchill was at a dinner party when he challenged a young woman with the following question, “Would you sleep with me for a million pounds?”

The lady blushed, then answered, “For a million pounds, of course I would sleep with you.”

“Well, how about for twenty pounds?”

Her face remained red, but was now red with anger. “Twenty pounds? What kind of woman do you think I am?”

Winston smiled. “That, my dear, has already been established. The only question now is the price.”

While the lady’s moral strength could easily handle the offer of twenty pounds, it couldn’t withstand the temptation of a million pounds.

If we are honest, most of us must admit that we are not so different from the young lady. You might not be willing to lie to your boss to get a raise, but you may be willing to lie to save your job. You might not steal to increase your wealth, but you may be willing to steal to feed your family. Facing adversity helps you to understand how strongly you hold to your moral beliefs. Adversity, then, is often the agent that reveals the limitations of your moral strength.

Adversity is also an agent that provides the opportunity to build your moral strength. Making moral decisions exercises your moral muscles. The more often you make the right moral choice, the more you build your moral strength. Adversity gives the opportunity to make good moral decisions. Furthermore, the greater the consequences you are facing when making your choice, the more your moral muscles are exercised.

So if you want to grow in moral strength, then adversity is a necessity. The theory is simple. The difficulty comes in the application. But if you are diligent and persevere, your moral strength will grow. You will no longer be a moral 90-pound weakling. And you will have adversity to thank for the results.