When you hear the word courage, what imagine comes to mind? For me, I think about the source of courage. What is your source? For me, I don’t consider myself strong, brave or full of courage. Left to my own pitiful self, I would say I could run faster than a Jack Rabbit at the first sign of trouble.
 
But. . . because I don’t have to rely on myself, I can rely on Christ’s courage, the source of my strength. Jesus is the game changer in all things. Because he is my courage, I can accomplish things I could not do on my own, for which I am exceedingly grateful.
 
Just like a lamp can only produce light when it’s plugged into electricity, a candle cannot produce light without a flame, and so our courage is the same way, we can experience great courage to help us defeat Hep C or anything else in this life much more effectively with Christ.
 
I came across a recent story of incredible heart and encouragement that inspires us to look beyond our pain, beyond our difficulty and challenges to the real source of courage, Jesus Christ.
 
In Joni Eareckson Tada’s book, “Beside Bethesda” 31 days Toward Deeper Healing, she shares this inspiring story of how the Lord used her husband Ken to remind her who she is with Christ.
 
"One morning, Ken and I were about to head out to our offices at Joni and Friends when he caught a look in my eyes and perceived that I had a physically painful day ahead of me. 
 
He opened the front door, then stopped in his tracks. “Wait one moment!” he said, and ran back into the house.  He came back with a large yellow sticky note on which he had inscribed a big capital C with a black marker. Then he place it on my chest, over my heart.
 
“What’s this?” I asked. “It’s C for Courage. You’ve got courage, Joni. I can see it in your eyes. You’re going to make it today. You’re going to do it, and I am praying for you. You’ve got the courage of Christ.”
 
She continues to explain how pain, difficulty and the disability she faces everyday reminds both of them that courage doesn’t flow from our own reservoirs of strength and character, but from the living Christ who makes His home within us.
 
She adds, "The best courage in times of crisis isn’t the kind we siphon out of the tepid, shallow pools at the bottom of our soul. For one thing, that courage will never last! The best courage is the kind that has been channeled from heaven itself--a vast reservoir wider than the human mind can conceive." 
 
I wholeheartedly agree. Jesus supplies courage beyond compare.  We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. His strength is perfect.  I for one am so thankful I have him to rely on, aren’t you?  If you haven’t asked him lately, I hope you call out to him today to give you His courage and strength.
 
I echo Ken’s words to Joni. My from heart to yours my friend, "You’re going to make it today. You’re going to do it, and I am praying for you. You’ve got the courage of Christ."
 
By the way, I see your Hep C Warrior badge, it may be invisible to you but believe me it’s there.  It says, Hep C Warrior with a helmet logo, underneath is Phil 4:13 which stands for “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”
 
The C stands for more than just the type of hepatitis you have, it stands for Christ’s Courage, it stands for Conqueror! So next time you see the word, Hep C, remember what the C stands for. His strength is your strength, His courage is your courage!  Because of Him, YOU are a Conqueror!
Hep Christ’s Courage, Hep Courage, Hep Conqueror! Yep, I like it, how about you?
This entry was originally published on Life Beyond Hepatitis C, December 28, 2015. It is reprinted with permission.