Perseverance. It’s hard. It means steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. Yep, it’s hard. But as in the lesson with the tortoise and the hare, slow and steady wins the race!

Are you feeling worn out or discouraged with Hepatitis C treatment or recovery? Are you dealing with a separate but difficult challenge?

I came across this snippet from my Hepatitis C treatment journal and the message still applies to anything I’m drudging through today. See if you relate.

Persevering Even When You Don’t Feel Like

“Today is day 88 of week 13 in my treatment for Hepatitis C. There are days when you feel so ready to stop in your tracks and say, “I’m done.” But the truth is, to get beyond Hepatitis C you have to persevere through every phase even when you don’t feel like it!

I have discovered exactly why the doctor warned me about the effects of summer heat while on treatment. It’s a super charged zapper! I’ve felt awful on every level this week. 

Life goes on even when you’re feeling bad. The lesson I’ve discovered while on treatment is, pace yourself. Stop, rest, give yourself a break (in every way), don’t get tied in knots emotionally because you’re having a bad day or week. You will get beyond this!

In order to get to the other side of victory you have to cross some rough terrain, hang in there, persevere and keep going. You will make it!

For me, this week is about persevering and being in the waiting room. Persevering because I’ve felt physically felt awful, and I’m waiting to get my blood test results. This will be my next RNA (virus load count) and liver enzymes, CBC, thyroid, etc…

I’ve been praying for the Lord to help me except whatever this test shows with strength, courage, perseverance, faith and trust. When I was praying about the results, I felt a whisper to my heart say, “Trust.” I knew shortly afterwards when I was reading my Bible, the scripture in John 14:1 jumped off the page at me and God was asking me to take His hand and trust Him, no matter what.

Whenever I start to think about being in the waiting room and persevering even when I don’t feel like, I hear Jesus’ words echo back in my mind, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in me.” John 14:1 NIV

That’s my theme for this week, persevering and trust. Steady on. Stay the course. Slow and steady wins the race! Even if there is a setback or I fall down, I will rise with Jesus help and continue on.

Dear Jesus, take me by your hand!

This entry was originally published on Life Beyond Hepatitis C, and is reprinted with permission.