Perseverance is Key

Perseverance must finish its work
so that you may be mature and complete,
not lacking anything.
–James 1:4

We go through periods when we seem to be standing still or slipping backwards. Perseverance is what brings complete recovery. Committing myself to the task before me, one minute at a time, one day at a time. There are rewards along the way… goals that have been accomplished, the sense of well-being, clarity of heart and mind.

Pushing too fast before you are ready or being critical of yourself for not getting through it faster can prolong the process.

Learn from the backslides. Being gentle with yourself may break some patterns that you’ve learned along the way. Celebrate the victories (not with your vices). Sometimes the journey is like two steps forward and one back, because we don’t control everyone around us, and sometimes it is just tough to control ourselves. It is a learning and changing process, and self-hatred just makes it worse.

    * Have you found any peace in the progress you make, even if it may be slower than you wanted it to be?
    * Can you feel like you are achieving victory even when you have to go back over things that you thought you had dealt with?
    * Are there people around you who will support you through backslides?
    * What do you do about people who are not patient with you?
    * Is there a plan you have made or need to make to go forward even just for the next day, or next few days?

Above all, persevere! And keep coming back!