Blog Posts to Inspire
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE!
Discover stories of encouragement and hope. Gain new perspectives. Wrestle with hard questions. And learn to thrive in a life with chronic illness, mental illness, chronic pain, and disability.
Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue;I will proclaim your greatness. (Psalm 145:6)
INSPIRING BLOG POSTS
We all have questions, grief, discouragement, pain, feelings of discontent, and sorrow. Chronic illness just seems to magnify all the issues. There are no pat answers to all our questions. How do we find inspiration when we feel so alone? Could we encourage you to read our inspiring blog posts and webpages that wrestle with the difficult questions and share different perspectives?
As we step into radical connection, as we tell our own stories, we will find ways to encourage one another and build each other up. Even when we don’t have all the answers, we are encouraged when we see others who struggle as we do. It helps us know we are not alone. We really are sharing life and discovering hope.
ENCOURAGEMENT AMID ILLNESS AND PAIN
We have many contributing writers who share thoughtful and heartfelt articles. They are not afraid to write about their struggles or wrestle with difficult circumstances and questions. They explore ways to find joy and peace as well as ways to thrive in a life of chronic illness.
Some posts encourage us to explore the difficulties and to bring our lament to God. There are no quick fixes, and often, our circumstances change very little, but as we read through these stories, we are better able to face our struggles.
By sharing their stories, these writers show us how they work through difficulties. They show us despair but also hope, sorrow but also joy, courage, and endurance. Through their struggles, we might just find a way through ours that leads to peace. God is working in our lives even when we aren’t aware it’s happening.
INSPIRING BLOG POSTS • SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
Chronic Joy® blog posts will inspire us to discover joy and peace even amid our suffering and struggles. As you scroll through our posts, you will find a wide variety of stories for those affected by chronic illness, mental illness, caregivers, teens, and parents. Find tools for anxiety, depression, poetry, prayer, #StepRepPray, and so much more – something for everyone.
There are articles to encourage you to reach out to others who are hurting. Some posts explain how to find joy in unexpected places. Many writers share how they found God’s comfort and love not despite illness but because of illness.
Because we have a wide variety of guest writers, there is something for everyone in our inspiring blog posts. So grab a cup of coffee or tea, find a comfortable place to rest, and take time to read through some of the heartfelt words of fellow travelers.
Letter-Writing Ministry
The ministry of letter writing pours out God's love into a lonely, hurting world, life-giving and nourishing to both the receiver and writer.
The Flame of Hope
Because community is vitally important to God, it's important to Chronic Joy. The flame of hope is for small groups to develop and thrive.
Be Strong and Take Heart
This lament from Psalm 31 stopped me in my tracks. Those words, written so long ago, speaks to my experience with chronic illness even today. Perhaps you can identify too?
Be Still • Reflections and Prayer
Not a single second is wasted when we are still and take our hearts, hopes, and dreams before the Lord. Praying aligns us with the Lord's heart.
Cinnamon Rolls For Christmas • Dairy Free
One of the concerns Cindee and Pamela see in ministry is people struggling with all kinds of food issues, especially problems with dairy products. That’s how the idea for this recipe came about. Could I develop a holiday recipe without dairy for their readers? I chose cinnamon rolls...
21 Ways to Cope with a Chronic Pain Flare
Chronic pain flares are hard. Practice Esther Smith’s 21 practical, helpful strategies to make them just a little easier. Here are just a few ways:
• Get the Grief Out.
• Make a Plan.
• Set Boundaries and Reduce your Schedule.
• Improve the Moment
FREE PRINTABLES
Creative Ways to Use Chronic Joy Posts & Publications
Talking about the impact of chronic illness, mental illness, chronic pain, and disability on our lives can be incredibly difficult. Sometimes, we are unsure what we think or how we feel, either for ourselves or for our friends or loved ones.
The Story Told Through Our Scars
Where we’ve been fractured, we can offer empathy and compassion. Where we’ve been wounded, we can speak of hope. And where we have been ground into dust, God’s light shines bright.
Telling Your Medical Story
What is a Medical Story? In order for our healthcare teams to build the best possible treatment plans for us, we need to learn to keep well-maintained logs with the symptoms and severity, medications, treatments, dates, and brief notes. Keep track with our Medical Story Log.