What struck me the most about Captain America is his indomitable willpower. His insane and godly perseverance. When he was a scrawny kid getting beaten up by bullies, he shouted his famous line: ‘I could do this all day.’ In Endgame, he stood up against all odds and faced down Thanos and his entire army, just before the portals were opened. It was him alone versus thousands, but Captain America never gave up. He would fight to his last breath.
One of the things I would like to deny about myself (but can’t) is that I have a tendency to bail on things. Actually, my perseverance sometimes really stinks, and I fall. Having faith in God makes all the difference. Through faith, I realized something: that the trials which troubled me were actually good for me. They helped me to see which virtues I possessed or need to strengthen, so that I can improve on my daily living. Through Faith, Christians can better internalize the saying: ‘Whatever does not kill you makes you stronger.’ It is no wonder that Captain America is a Christian!
Our worst enemies are always ourselves. For me, I dislike the harder course of action EVERY single time. And I will do anything I can to find a better, more pleasing option. But that is not virtuous. It is actually fear, and well, laziness. My imagination, my feelings, my old habits, my likes and dislikes, these will assist me only in abandoning necessary struggles and obstacles in my life, and eventually, giving up. Perhaps what we can all learn from Captain America, the leader of the Avengers, are these points:
1) To stop avoiding
2) To stop looking for green grass
3) To stop imagining distant splendor
4) To be content with what we have
5) To persevere and trust God.