Would you dare to believe that it’s possible to live out real hope in chronic illness?
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:8-9
I’ve struggled with my health for practically my entire life. It hasn’t always been major things, but those gnawing little symptoms that leave you wondering if there is something wrong or if it’s all in your head.
And most of my life, I’ve lived with the “suck it up” mentality. My thoughts resembled something like: Everyone has problems. Mine aren’t a big deal. If I were just stronger, I’d be fine.
Now these thoughts got me through most of my adolescent life, striving to look fine and act fine. But they planted roots of deep brokenness both in my view of myself and how God could work in me as I tried to cover up my weakness.
In my early 20’s I was diagnosed with several different chronic health conditions which described my worsening symptoms. I am forever grateful that I found these answers because they have allowed me to care for my body in the way that I need to.
However, it only led to a different sort of striving. If I do everything I can and find all the knowledge and treatment ideas that I can, I will be able to live as if I don’t have a chronic illness. I can live normally. I can be normal.
This striving for normalcy not only led to bitter resentment towards myself and a broken sense of worth, but it led me away from God’s ability to work in my brokenness and shine his glory through me.
Over time, God revealed this broken view of myself to me. He used some amazing friends, powerful mentors and my loving husband to show me that I didn’t need to live this way.
So today, I want to share with you some of the ways that we can live with joy and hope in the midst of struggling with chronic illness. Because let’s face it, whether you have a diagnosis or not, so many of us struggle with our health. We struggle with chronic symptoms that interfere with our life and the way that we want to live it.
But these things don’t have to define us and they don’t have to steal our hope.
1. Lay Down Your Expectations
It is so hard to surrender the way that we want our life to go. I mean, we spend our lifetime dreaming up the family we want, the job we want and the expectations that we have for ourselves.
It was so hard realizing that I had limitations that I couldn’t overcome.
I fought my entire life to at least appear that I could overcome these limitations. But marriage will reveal things to you in a way that nothing else can. And it was in my marriage that I realized I couldn’t hide behind my walls of “fine” all the time.
What does it look like to lay down your expectations?
- Spend time praying every day, surrendering your expectations
- Pray for grace for yourself and learn to offer yourself grace daily
- Recognize moments when you are holding yourself to unrealistic expectations
- Journal about these expectations & write out prayers of surrender
2. Let God Lead You to Greater Things
When I finally surrendered my entire life to God, expectations, hopes and all (it’s an ongoing process), that was when He led me to something I never could have imagined.
I spent my life dreaming of being a writer and yet believing it was so far out of reach. I never once thought it would actually happen. And yet as I tried so hard to make career path after career path work, I was pushing away the glorious path that God had for me.
And this path happened to include one of my biggest dreams!
When we finally can let go of our expectations and the pressures we put on ourselves and allow God to guide us, He will bring us to something greater. He will bring you places you never thought possible. He will awaken a passion and joy and hope in you that you never knew existed.
I had to realize that my health problems weren’t problems. They were a part of my life and that God could work within them for His glory.
In fact, it was because of those very things that I found this path that led to one of my biggest dreams.
I want to encourage you that as you lay down your expectations, be open to something great. There is hope in God’s plan for us. And when we can learn to lay down what we thought our life should be, we can find what we are meant to be!
3. Learn to Love Yourself
With chronic illness comes a lot of disappointment, a lot of pain and a lot of change. It’s hard not to blame yourself and your body. It’s hard not to feel betrayed by your body.
I used to wonder why God made me broken. I mean, if it’s how I was born and it was in my genetics from birth, wasn’t that God’s doing? I hated the way my body was, my weakness and I wished I were different. I felt unlovable and unworthy.
This was born out of my broken thoughts that I mentioned earlier. I thought being worthy of love meant appearing fine and strong. And no matter how hard I tried, and even sometimes succeeded at appearing fine, deep down I knew I wasn’t.
Learning to love myself and view myself the way that God does has been a journey. But when you can begin to do this, you can find strength and hope.
Here are some ways that I made that shift (and still am making that shift today):
- Study, meditate and memorize verses about my identity in Christ
- Spend time focusing on and cultivating your strengths
- Find a place to serve in a way that works within your limitations
- Ask God to show you how He views you
- Give yourself grace, grace & lots of grace
- Find support from others who are walking through chronic illness
4. Memorize Scriptures of Hope
There is so much hope that even in the midst of our weakness, we can find joy, hope, strength, peace, purpose and love. I want to share with you some of my favorite Scriptures that have encouraged me through this time of learning to find hope with chronic illness.
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. –2 Corinthians 12:8-10
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. –Ephesians 3:20
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. –Psalm 139: 13-14
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. –James 1:2-4
If you’re struggling with a chronic illness and feel that there’s little hope or joy in your life, I want to encourage you to work through these 4 things.
God has shown me just how much hope there is in the midst of chronic illness. He has shown me that I can live out His glory in my life and find joy. I know you can find that hope and joy too!
Prayer for today:
Father, I thank you that living with chronic illness does not mean living a life devoid of hope and joy! It IS possible to experience both, even when faced with health challenges. I pray for each one of my sisters who may also find themselves struggling with chronic illness, and I ask that you would show them how to find hope, and live with joy and purpose, for your name’s sake! Amen.
What brings you hope in the midst of chronic illness? I’d love to hear your story in the comments below 🙂
To view all of the topics in this series, check out our Stories of Hope page, and discover how others have chosen to live a life of hope, despite life’s greatest challenges!
Nicole Kauffman is a wife, blogger and passionate follower of Christ. Her blog, Courage. Hope. Love. was founded to encourage, inspire and guide struggling Christians to deeper hope and joy in the Lord.
Nicole also writes about healing chronic illness at nicolekauffman.com. She is an aspiring author who loves to grow relationships, mentor, and inspire others. She’s hoping you will join her on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
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Taking notes, Nichole, because I have a chronic lower back thing, and routinely try to live my life “as if” I didn’t.
Then, somehow, I am surprised (????) when I injure myself and have to stop and regroup.
Thanks for pointing out the life lessons that have come to you through your challenges.
I can completely relate! Thanks for sharing, Michele. It’s good to know I’m not alone in it 😉 It takes a lot of acceptance and peace to be able to embrace it and surrender it. Praying you find that <3
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Thank you, Nicole and Rachel, for bringing us this message of hope. Learning to love ourselves the way God loves us can be surprisingly difficult. This post gives us a wonderful road map to find our way.
It really can be tough! But when we stay strong and seek to find God’s will for us in the tough, His peace is beyond measure! Thanks for stopping by, Laurie 🙂
Thank you, Nicole, for sharing your story. You’ve written with warmth and insight, and you offer practical steps and hope. I can relate to so much of what you’ve shared here. My diagnosis came later in life, but like you, it helped me to finally manage things in a way that worked for me and my family. I still struggle with accepting my limitations, but I’ve also recognized God’s masterful orchestration in it all. He is faithful.
I LOVE those words, Jana! God’s masterful orchestration. What a beautiful image that paints. So glad you are able to manage your health and see God’s faithfulness despite the struggle. Thank you for sharing <3
I have type 1 diabetes and there are some days when I wonder why I’ve been burdened with it. But it’s given me some of my best friends, provided opportunities to educate others on it, and connect with strangers over insulin pumps.
I’m so encouraged to hear that you see God bringing you blessings despite the hardship, Colleen. I once heard someone say that when we shift our mindset from one of “why me?” to “how can He use me?” we find immense peace and joy no matter how hard our trials become. Thank you for sharing today!
This is definitely a word in season for me, Nicole! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I’m so glad, Elizabeth! Thanks for stopping by!!
These things don’t have to define us. So wise. laurensparks.net
Yes! I definitely need to remember that daily, Lauren. Thanks!
I think learning the ever changing limitations have been a hard part for me, which I’m not at the end of my diagnosis journey but it seems as if in the last 3 years that as soon as I adjust to the new limitation then all of a sudden more get added. It’s in those moments I have to regroup with my Lord Jesus with the renewed view of fully believing He has a specific plan for allowing this to be a part of my story. Thank you for sharing part of your story and transparency. It’s amazing what God does in our weaknesses!!
Thanks so much for sharing, April. I do feel that it is a never-ending learning process. I’m so glad that you can rely on God in those moments. <3
Wow, Nicole! Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us, and praise God that there is beauty in the broken, and that we are made whole in him! Your voice is a powerful beacon of light, and such an encouragement to so many!
Thank you SO much, Christin! I greatly appreciate your encouraging words 🙂
God’s glory is shining through the way you’ve allowed Him to change “broken thoughts,” Nicole!
Thanks, Kelly! The idea of God’s glory shining through my struggles is what brought me the original hope and peace to give me the strength to walk through them. Thanks for your encouragement <3
Thank you Nicole for sharing your story. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia about 6 years ago, and it has not been easy. I have had moments of depression, and anxiety over my illness. When I finally surrendered it all to God and stopped pretending that everything was perfect, I finally accepted my illness and my limitations. However, I also accepted God’s grace that much greater. He showed me just how much he still had plans for me, and I am so glad he did. Even in the midst of chronic illness, He is still working on us. Praise God!
Nicole, your testimony is powerful! Thank you for sharing it because chronic illness seems all around us these days and this gives real hope and insight on how to live life to the fullest in spite of ongoing challenges. It is so tempting to want to attach our hope to issues being resolved but that just won’t work. You lay it out clearly how we can experience God’s best for us even as we deal with suffering. Thank you and may God bless you both!
Thank you for sharing your story and the advice you give to help others find hope! Your testimony is a blessing to us!
So people don’t understand how debilitating and defining this can be- this is all so important, both to remind sufferers of chronic illness and for those who are friends and family of those with chronic illness.
This is exactly where I am… I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune disease that is attacking and killing my thyroid. It’s causing other sickness and so much pain and fatigue. It is so hard to set down my own expectations of how I think life should go. It’s so hard to just rest and let God be my strength.
Thank you for sharing your story.
My husband & I both live with chronic illness. We sometimes joke that we have almost one good body & half a brain between us! He has juvenile diabetes. I have chronic joint pain, no thyroid (from a cancer scare), an old back injury & am now thrown into menopause after an (almost)emergency surgery a year ago. I hate listing my issues because it makes me sound like such a moaner!
For both my husband & I, our illness’ are not visible. On good days we can do what most people our age can do but it’s hard to commit to anything not knowing what days will be good. I’m sure you understand that. The last few years we’ve both been so discouraged by just how hard it is to get things done. We’ve let go of so many things & activities to just keep up with what has to be done.
I’ve seen articles like yours before but can never seem to get past the first step or so of studying, memorizing, meditating, praying……when I bring myself to try I fight such a battle in my mind that it will not help my discouragement. So I grit my teeth & try not to be so difficult for the people I love.
I will keep trying though. What else can you do? I’m past the point of wanting to honor God with my life & just want to be able to be helpful, kind & loving to the my family & the people I come into contact with.
You folks can talk all about how chronic illness can teach you or help you understand or bring you closer to God .. if it does for you cool ….
I submit this . You get beaten enough or raped , mistreated . After a time it’s just human nature to no like the guy that inflicts pain upon you ( acts of god . Illness created and distributed by God . ) It’s just common sense . Why would you want to go around your dad if he hit you in the mouth every time you see him. If … IF God is using chronic illness to try to teach or get love or for you to get closer to Him …. I would suggest He goes back and rewrites or rereads lessons on basic human behavior . When you get tortured . Most often you don’t like the guy doing it and you damn sure don’t want him spending the night with you in your house
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