Chronic Illness
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
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The world can be an inaccessible place for those who live with daily pain or nausea, dysregulated blood sugar or body temperature, intractable migraine, bleeding disorders, GI issues, food allergies, environmental sensitivities, extreme fatigue, and more. (Chronic Joy)
Chronic means persisting for a long time. So then, chronic illness is illness that has persisted for a long time, and living with it isn’t easy. You can feel hard-pressed on every side, perplexed, persecuted, struck down, weary, overwhelmed, and at the end of yourself – BUT you are still here!
Through every hard day, you persevered, stuck it out through each new symptom, endured appointments and pain, continued through countless frustrations, withstood tests and procedures, coping with loss, navigated medication changes, stuck with changing treatment plans, and persevered through exhaustion that felt like trudging through wet cement.
You have suffered and survived, persisting even when you didn’t think you could.
Perseverance is a powerful thing and something we don’t often celebrate.
Take a minute and think about this. What has it cost you to get to this day? Think about how many tests you have endured. How much pain have YOU suffered? How many times have you wanted to give up?
But you didn’t.
Pastor Greg Laurie writes, “I have seen Christians have the strongest faith in the hardest circumstances imaginable.”
Today, celebrate your tenacity.
You have persisted.
What if you don’t feel peace today? What if you question whether you’ll ever again taste joy?
Jesus answered that in John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
In this world, we will have trouble — but suffering isn’t the end of the story. Jesus has overcome the world. He endured, he survived, and he persisted.
There’s even more! In Ephesians 2:14, Paul writes that Jesus is our peace, right in the messy midst of it all – in the midst of illness, in the midst of suffering, and in the midst of pain and unimaginable challenges – Jesus is our peace.
AN INVITATION
Today, we invite you to step in, slip off your shoes, and stay awhile. Read, listen, explore, and discover.
Chronic Joy isn’t a place for quick fixes or savvy advice. We don’t offer pat answers or simple solutions. Instead, we invite you into connection as we learn, share, wrestle, pray, and lean into the precious truths of Scripture together.
Pause, rest, and care for your soul today. Nurture your heart and lean into the still small Voice that says, “You are my beloved and I delight in you” (Zephaniah 3:17).
Step through these doors and discover:
- easily accessible tools
- fantastic free printables
- encouraging images
- engaging books and publications
- inspiring posts, devotionals, and prayer guides
Come, explore — and stay awhile.
We’re so glad you’re here. Welcome home!
How to Live Well with Chronic Illness
Living well with chronic illness begins with understanding who we are in Christ: we are God’s beloved, His masterpiece, created in His image, and filled with His Spirit.
The first step is extending compassion to ourselves, recognizing that chronic illness is hard, but we are still here. We have endured. Persevered. Persisted.
Let that backpack full of shame slide off your shoulders. Set down the heavy stack of pain. Drop your suitcase full of suffering, shake free from expectation, and release the dragging guilt.
Instead, Jesus invites: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
As we learn to release expectation and loosen our grip on control, we begin to sense God’s Presence in every heartbeat, His beauty woven through every atom of creation.
“Come,” invites the Prince of peace. Lean in, drink deep, and savor.
A PLACE TO BEGIN
Step in with our FREE printable: Story Matters – Writing the Story of Your Illness. Whether you see yourself as a writer or not, you have a story, and it matters.
Let the questions percolate. Remember where you’ve been, and trace the moments that have prepared you for such a time as this. (Esther 4:14)
Brainstorm and bullet point as you journey back across the years the locusts have eaten. (Joel 2:25)
Seek God’s Presence. Listen for the dreams He established in your soul, the calling He wove into your DNA.
You are an integral, vital, and necessary member of the Body of Christ. Without you, the Body is incomplete.
Come.
Lean in and learn to thrive in a life with chronic illness.
Express Your Story and Connect More Deeply with God
- What are you passionate about?
- Who can you pray for?
- When have you felt most deeply connected to God?
- What skills, hobbies, gifts, or abilities do you have?
- Who can you encourage?
- Where did you find your greatest joy as a child? What brings you joy today?
- When do you sense God’s pleasure?
Use the questions in our Story Matters printable to step into story. Walk through the details, remember, and let pain do its work. Grieve. Celebrate. Smile. Laugh. Step into joy forged in the crucible of suffering.
Use the Creative Ways printable as a springboard. Brainstorm, dream, and open your heart to new possibilities. You are an indispensable member of the Body of Christ.
FREE PRINTABLES
Prayers for the Journey
Short prayers to strengthen, encourage, and inspire you to step into the comforting presence of God, where you are fully, known, infinitely cared about, and deeply loved.
Story Matters
Creatively Express Your Story
We can feel isolated and powerless when living with chronic illness, but what if your story begins to bridge the gaps? What if your story offers a glimmer of hope to someone standing at the edge of hopelessness?
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, including the date, length, and severity of symptoms, medications, treatments, and brief notes.
16 Verses to Ignite Hope
In the middle of prolonged illness it can seem like God doesn’t see you. Weakness and stress can make it difficult to hold onto hope. God’s strength never falters. Allow these scriptures to sink deep into your heart, igniting hope as He carries you.
You Are So Loved
Do you love yourself like God loves you? Do you live like you’re valuable? Do you live like you’re set free? You have only ONE identity, and it’s found in Jesus Christ. Only He is qualified to define you, to remind you of who you are, of who He created you to be, and of who you can become in Him as He sets you free.
13 Things That Might Resonate
With chronic illness, every day is an adventure! It isn’t a life we would have chosen, but it is one we’re learning to walk through with courage, tenacity, humor, and grace. We are so much more than our illnesses!
Verses to Comfort & Encourage
The most significant thing we can do when we’re lonely, anxious, afraid, or overwhelmed, is to turn to the One who knows us and loves us completely – the God of all comfort.
Emotions Wheel • 14 Ways to Make a Difficult Day Brighter
A tool designed to help us identify and communicate our emotions. It begins at the center with six core emotions (angry, bad, disgusted, fearful, happy, sad, and surprised).
Wonder Walks • A Prayer Guide
Wonder Walks are an invitation to savor God’s holy fingerprint in every atom of creation, to engage our senses and cultivate curiosity, to listen for His still small voice, and to delight in His extraordinary creativity.
Celebrate Little Things Everyday
Celebrate each small win, every tiny triumph and every unexpected victory, even if today your milestone is just a pebble.
Allegory
Allegory is a beautiful, artistic form of storytelling that offers us an opportunity to explore difficult, painful, or vulnerable parts of our stories from a safer distance and a fictional character’s perspective.
Creative Ways to Connect
Looking for creative ways to connect with others as you unpack the Chronic Joy studies? This FREE printable does just that and more!
POSTS
Where is God in My (Disappointment)?
What to do when you end up where you don’t want to be and you don’t know the way out. Disappointment means I lean on Jesus.
Learning to Cast
I'm learning to cast my burdens upon God, humbling myself to admit utter dependence on the Lod's strength and wisdom.
What if illness – the stripping away of our health, our dreams, our understanding of who we are and what our future holds – is really a gift?
“What if illness – the stripping away of our health, our dreams, our understanding of who we are and what our future holds – is really a gift?” (Cindee Snider Re)
“Our culture habituates us to noise, to rushing, to an inhuman pace. When illness forces you to stop – to spend days or months or years in diminished activity – there may be a hidden mercy.” Mary C. Earle
“Our culture habituates us to noise, to rushing, to an inhuman pace. When illness forces you to stop – to spend days or months or years in diminished activity – there may be a hidden mercy.” (Mary C. Earle)
What is the most unexpected blessing of chronic illness?
“What is the most unexpected blessing of chronic illness?” (Cindee Snider Re)
What is the hardest thing about chronic illness?
“What is the hardest thing about chronic illness?” (Cindee Snider Re)
Life becomes inspiring, not in spite of the problems and the hard hits, but because of them.
“Life becomes inspiring, not in spite of the problems and the hard hits, but because of them.” (Joni Eareckson Tada)
God has graciously sewn laughter into our days, bright moments tucked among the shadows of illness and pain…
“God has graciously sewn laughter into our days, bright moments tucked among the shadows of illness and pain…” (Cindee Snider Re)
Describe chronic illness in five words.
“Describe chronic illness in five words.” (Cindee Snider Re)
With a chronic illness you can’t wait to enjoy life.
“With a chronic illness you can’t wait to enjoy life.” (Karen Dockrey)
The longer I live with serious chronic illness, the more I pray for my faith to be deepened.
“The longer I live with serious chronic illness, the more I pray for my faith to be deepened.” (Maureen Pratt)