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.
Why Doesn’t God Heal Everyone?
My friends suggested I go to the meeting, but I was resistant. I had been to healing services before. Each time I had expected a miraculous healing. Each time I believed it would happen. Each time I had returned disappointed.
How a Son’s Mental Illness Stole My Father’s Day
If I’m a failure as a father because of my child’s actions, aren’t I also saying that my mentally-ill child was a failure as a person because of his action?
Watcher • Caregiver
For years I never considered that the label "Caregiver" belonged to me. It seemed too formal, too restrictive, too important for what I did to help my chronically ill mum. Hugs and housework and understanding. Surely those didn’t deserve such a label?
God of the Broken Beautiful • A Prayer from Jeremiah 29
O God of the Broken Beautiful,
You take the most common, ordinary things and transform them
into nourishment for body and soul.
We need to also make space for lament today.
Our hearts are broken,
We are people who always hold some kind of pain
In the Marrow of Depression and Anxiety
This is the scourge of depression and anxiety: carrying burdens of guilt for a body off kilter. Yes, circumstances in my life, like turning forty and struggling with my identity since my kids have gone off to school.
Five Minutes at a Time • A Letter To The Mamas
Five minutes at a time, we will raise our kids and love our husbands and wrap our hands around lukewarm coffee. Five minutes at a time, we will breathe and rise and take the next step.
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.