BOLD AND PATIENT

Did you know that the lions in front of the New York City Public Library have names? That’s right. Their names are Patience and Fortitude. During the Great Depression, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia gave them those names to remind New Yorkers of the qualities they needed to get through tough times.

In the middle of a city that never sleeps, where millions rush by every day, those two lions have stood tall for over a century. Rain, snow, protests, parades, pandemics—you name it, they’ve faced it. And still they stand, strong and majestic, right where they’ve always been.

Scripture says in Proverbs 28:1, “The righteous are as bold as a lion.” When we face hardship, and we all do, God does call us to be bold like lions and to stand with patience, stand with fortitude. You may not feel like a lion. You may feel tired, discouraged, and worn out. But feelings are not facts. You’ve got the heart of a lion, and that courage is God-breathed.

Let’s begin with Patience. Patience isn’t just waiting. It’s how you wait. You can wait anxious, bitter, complaining… or you can wait with expectation, with peace, with joy. Patience is trusting that even when nothing seems to be changing, God is still working. Like a lion, patience doesn’t jump at every noise. It doesn’t chase every distraction. It waits. Calm. Focused. Confident.

And Fortitude. That’s not a word we use every day. But it’s one of my favorites. Fortitude is courage in the face of adversity. It’s that inner fire, that holy grit, that comes out when life knocks the wind out of you. It’s when you say, “I’ve come too far to give up now.” That strength is not your own; it comes from God. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you (Romans 8:11). And that Spirit equips you to endure trials and to face each day with grace.

So the next time you’re walking through a storm, think about those lions outside the library. Patience and Fortitude. Let them remind you of what’s inside you. You don’t have to move to prove your strength. You don’t have to roar to show your power. Sometimes the strongest thing you can do is stand. Stand in patience. Stand in fortitude. Stand in faith.

Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan
June 7, 2025