by Chronic Joy® | Apr 5, 2020 | Bettie Gilbert, Prayer
Praying When we truly face the shape of our hearts, we can be overwhelmed by the lack that we feel. Sinful, weak, and weary are thoughts that easily come to mind as we carry such weights from our days. But we have a Father who loved us so deeply that He sent His Son...
by Chronic Joy® | Mar 15, 2020 | Anxiety, Bettie Gilbert, Chronic illness, Prayer
Anxiety and Shame in Chronic Illness The day was sunny and beautiful as we drove into the parking lot, but I did not feel much beauty in my heart. In fact, sudden tears rose unbidden to the surface as the medical center came into view. I had been to this same...
by Chronic Joy® | Mar 1, 2020 | Bettie Gilbert, Prayer
Lenten Season The Season of Lent is a time of pausing and reflecting about what our Lord Jesus has won for us: New Life in God, the salvation of our souls! Every year we come around to this time again, pondering the weight of what Jesus bore for us. He gave His...
by Chronic Joy® | Feb 2, 2020 | Bettie Gilbert, Prayer
Refuge Support, sustain, uphold, carry: what do these words all have in common? Aren’t they words that speak about something that is weak, something that is small, something that needs to be held? There are so many times in the journey with chronic illness when we...
by Chronic Joy® | Jan 21, 2020 | Allegory, Bettie Gilbert, Chronic illness
The Story of My Heart Hidden in Jesus Not long ago a friend and I were pondering the mystery of how Christ opens our hearts to His strength in our weaknesses, how He transforms us in the deepest of places. From that pondering came a story, an allegory from my...
by Chronic Joy® | Jan 9, 2020 | Bettie Gilbert, Prayer
Dwell The Cambridge English Dictionary gives us that simple definition for the word dwelling: a place where people live. And yet, we each also dwell within these physical forms–our human bodies that are inherently lonely. No one else can feel the precise...
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