At the young age of 20, I was diagnosed with polymyositis, an autoimmune disease, and my world came to a standstill.

As a young girl growing up, I recall hearing stories about faith in the Bible at church, but it always seemed like a distant concept, far from my own reality. Whenever I heard about faith-related issues, I thought they were for adults only. Our culture and upbringing can create a mindset that certain life circumstances are only for adults. For me, the concept of faith was one of those, and while it was nice hearing about people of faith like Abraham, Job, Esther, Ruth, and Mary in the Bible, I never imagined I’d have my own faith story.

In 2004, I was diagnosed with polymyositis at the age of twenty. This autoimmune disease affects all the muscles in the body, causing weakness. After months of hospital visits, numerous malaria treatments, and countless lab tests, I was finally diagnosed. Hearing the doctor say he knew what was wrong and prescribing medication felt like a solution. However, that day marked the beginning of a new phase of my life, one where I had to take medication every day.

Growing up, I had always been healthy and never needed medication. The idea of taking eight tablets of prednisolone seemed like a joke to me. For my mom and me, seeing my health deteriorate so rapidly was incredibly difficult.

My life took a drastic turn for the worse. Every day after the diagnosis brought new terrible symptoms. I became bedridden, gained weight, and struggled with severe muscle weakness. My family and I were devastated, especially as I was an only child being raised by a single mother. At this point, I was still in denial about what was happening. All I had was free time, which I spent sitting in a chair, eating, taking medication, and watching TV. I was cut off from the world, except for my family. Sleep became my companion, as it was the only thing I could do on my own.

I went through a series of difficult phases during those terrible times. I cried until I fell asleep, questioned God's purpose, and wallowed in self-pity. I even compared my situation to others who I thought had lived worse lifestyles but were still healthy. My relationship with God was strained, and I was going through the motions of religious Christianity.

In my weakened state, the only strong and active thing I had was my mind. To my amazement, I found myself listening more to God's word and motivational messages. I also began to develop a habit of reading. I told myself, I didn't have the strength to do many things, but reading was something I could do on my own. As I immersed myself in these activities and had quiet moments with God, I gradually realized that my days were no longer as boring.

Unfortunately, the medication I was taking also caused muscle weakness, worsening my condition.

At one point, I was taking 20 tablets a day. During a phone conversation with an uncle, he made a profound statement that I believe God spoke through him. He asked how I spent my day, and I told him about my new routine. He simply said, "You should take stock of your life."

That still small voice kept replaying that statement to me. I realized I could make use of this free time. I began keeping journals, recording my daily challenges and creating a list of things I wanted to do when I got better. As I immersed myself in these activities, I began feeling a sense of hope building up within me.

I realized that storms sometimes come without warning. But I chose to let my challenge make me a better person, not a bitter one. Bitterness is like acid, it corrodes the container, not the source of bitterness. When people go through pain, they either wail or prevail. I chose to prevail. Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and a good thing never dies.

I told myself that God was able to heal me and restore me to health. With that faith, I held on to my plans. I tried something new every day, like lifting my hand, getting up from a sitting position, using the toilet on my own, and walking within my house.

Faith makes all things possible. It wasn't easy, but I persevered. I fell down many times, but I got back up and kept going. God didn't promise us an easy journey, but He promised His ever-presence and help. He is with us through it all.

I chose not to give in to the sympathy of people. I told myself, "Nothing is spoiled." I would take it one day at a time and do what my strength allowed me to do. I realized I wasn't in competition with anyone and didn't allow the seemingly slow pace of my life to deter me.

I found the strength to rescind my decision of not going to university. I decided to rewrite my math and go back to school. God turned my mess into a message of restoration and hope. It wasn't easy, but choosing a university that would accommodate my health limitations was a challenge. I realized that the world wouldn't do things to suit your challenges, but you would need to adapt.

Every single day in university was a challenge. But God blessed me with wisdom, knowledge, understanding, resilience, and tenacity. I never trailed any of my papers and never had any accidents that exposed my physical weakness.

God's wisdom helped me come to terms with the challenges that this new state brought.

He helped me strategize and plan my daily activities. If I hadn't disclosed the state of my health, no one would have had any idea of what I was going through. I recall my doctor saying, "You can't even get up from a chair by yourself, how do you think you can go to school?" But faith ignored all that. I thought to myself, what's the worst that could happen? I've been through so much. 

And so it was that I graduated with a second upper honours in Bsc Administration. Isn't faith in God the greatest thing ever?

God blessed me in so many diverse ways. I had my first degree fully sponsored, and many friends came into my life to encourage me. People are astonished when they hear my story. For instance, while in school, I opened a shop at home and started working part-time for myself. I went on to study a professional HR course during my national service. And while working, God led me to unearth my purpose, which is to give counsel to people concerning their career choices. This led me to going back to school to study for a Master's degree. 

There is a blessing hidden in every trial in life.

You have to be willing to open your heart and eyes to see them. I've come to appreciate life so much and show appreciation to the people God has blessed me with.

The longer you have to wait for something, the more you will appreciate it. The harder you fight for something, the more priceless it will become. The more pain you have to endure on your journey, the sweeter the arrival at your destination. All good things are worth waiting for and worth fighting for. 

You are in charge of how you feel. Choose life, and you will live. What's the worst that could happen? In the end, everyone will die, but you either get busy living or get busy dying. I choose to live. 

My battle with polymyositis has taken me on a journey where I've found faith in uncommon places. Ten years down the line, I still experience flare-ups, ups and downs, and I'm still on high doses of medication. Every day comes with its challenges. I don't know when this roller coaster ride will end, but I know in whose hands my life is in. So I am reassured that He who has begun a good work in me will complete it. I can most certainly do all things through Christ who strengthens me. With Christ in the vessel, I will smile at the storm each day because my life is hid with Christ Jesus my lord and personal saviour in God.

As Madiba said, "Courage was not the absence of fear but the triumph over it." I've learned to conquer my fears one day at a time. Small steps have yielded huge results. You can make it too. Just take that first step, and you'll be amazed at the ground you'll cover. Your story will make the bestseller list.