A Test of Courage

“The test of success is not what you do when you are on top. Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.”
― George S. Patton 

As the quote above states, the mark of character is not what you find when you are on top; it is what you do when you falter.  The "test" of success - or, for that matter, the test of courage or of faith or of loyalty, occurs when things are not going our way.  If we can rise above adversity; above discouragement; ignore others' malicious or deprecating opinions of our efforts - then we shall have passed the test. 

It is true for faith, whether you believe in an unseen greater power, or if you choose to have faith in an outcome: the test comes when the chips are down.  That's what makes it a test.  Otherwise, how would you know that you have been tested? How would you know that your faith was challenged, questioned even? When everything around you is purring along, with no problems, no issues, nothing to resolve, there is no conflict.  You are at peace.  The forces do not battle each other.  Everything is harmonious.  And that is not a test.  The test comes when conflict begins.  How you resolve it is the mark of your character.