Virtue and Vice

 “Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge.” (2 Peter 1:5 ESV)

In my backyard, I have a raised bed for growing vegetables and another area where I throw yard waste. The vegetable garden has to be watered, weeded, and fertilized regularly. For all that work, I am rewarded with healthy herbs, tomatoes, squashes, peppers, etc. A few plants also sprout up in the area where I throw my yard waste. Even though they are useless weeds, I am surprised by how easily they grow with no attention. But these plants, although they look green and lush, provide no nourishment. 

This reminds me of something else I have observed: Developing good habits takes consistent work and attention, while bad habits just pop up like weeds in neglected gardens. Take, for instance, the tug of materialism. It would take no effort on my part to indulge in the pleasurable pursuit of acquisition. Society actually approves of this form of self-aggrandizement. However, the opposite--a person who voluntarily limits consumption--is often interpreted as a miser, an overthinker, or someone who doesn’t know how to enjoy life. Thus, practicing the virtue of temperance takes a certain degree of contrariness and courage. The fruit of moral excellence needs careful cultivation of knowledge, self-control, endurance, and godliness. Vice sprouts up automatically, but virtue requires consistent attention.