Keeping Your Faith Strong as a Christian with Chronic Pain
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Being a Christian with chronic pain can be very challenging. It may be hard to stay positive and feel useful as a disciple when you can’t do what you used to.
My Struggle as a Christian with Chronic Pain
Two years ago, I didn’t know what I was good for. I couldn’t work, and I was barely social. I knew I was meant to help others, but I didn’t know how. I had to drop out of my master’s program (which confused me because I thought I was being led to be a mental health counselor). I also had to watch my husband do everything for me, our household, and our dog.
I spent so many months researching healthcare options, things to make life easier for my husband, and ways to grow myself into new careers that would match my fluctuating energy levels/physical state.
All the research and depression that came from that period told me that I was likely to do nothing significant. It told me that I wouldn’t be able to have my old life back. That I couldn’t do the things I used to, and that my ADHD would make it significantly harder to manage the areas of my life that are necessary to function daily.
Things like
- Eating healthy/balanced meals,
- Drinking enough water,
- Getting enough sleep,
- Being social,
- And more.
It’s very easy to say that life isn’t fair, and that I can’t do anything anymore.
To be honest, life isn’t fair, but God never promised that it would be.
Materials (What You Need To Keep Your Faith Strong)
To truly live out the following steps, you must have a few things.
- You need a Bible (or access to one online). I use both a hard-copy Bible and the YouVersion Bible App (to listen to the word and switch between translations quickly).
- Faith in God (believing that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior is crucial to having faith – the purpose of this article!)
- A village (fellow believers to encourage you and walk through life with you)
There are a few optional things to consider getting/using as well.
- A licensed therapist (preferably one that does Christian integration/biblical counseling; experience with chronic pain helps too!). Click here to read my post on finding a therapist if you need help!
- A journal or a voice recording app
Step-by-Step Instructions
Being a Christian with chronic pain/illness involves
- Reading and meditating on His word
- Looking at the bigger picture
- Showing yourself grace
Step 1: Reading and meditating on His word
Did you know that the Bible is filled with stories of people facing life-threatening and life-altering circumstances?
I read scripture every single day. That means that every day, I'm reminded that I’m not alone and I’m not facing something impossible.
Step 2: Looking at the bigger picture
Only God knows all. However, we can look at the past and present to get hints about our future.
***TIP: You may find it helpful to write all your thoughts about the following in a journal. I’ve personally also found it helpful to talk these things out with a therapist.
TESTIMONY
Think about the obstacles that God has overcome in your life. If you have chronic pain/illness, think about what He has healed you of in the past!
There are many times when God has healed me physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I could talk about a time when I received complete healing. However, I'm going to share something that has recently given me so much joy through my current issues.
One Sunday, I got my period (monthly cycle). I'm usually in so much pain I can’t move the first day (or two). You can read more about my adenomyosis journey here.
I was on my bed, stretched out in a pose I learned in physical therapy, and I felt like I couldn’t talk or move.
Then, God told me to get up.
I didn’t move. I just laid there panicked.
He said it again and told me to praise Him. So I started mumbling, and slowly rose until I was sitting on the edge of my bed. I also started clapping my hands to a rhythm in my head.
After some more panicking, I finally stood to my feet, causing pain to rush down my legs. So, I started stomping my feet to the rhythm. And I sang louder. I felt silly, but not for long.
Suddenly, a wave of peace swept over my body. I was frazzled and couldn’t tell if I was completely pain-free, because I couldn't remember what that felt like.
Through my tears and praise, I spent the rest of the day calling and texting a bunch of people about what happened.
My normal "everyday pain" returned the next day, but my cycle pain was almost nonexistent. That was the best period I've had in a long time. It might have been the best period I've ever had!When I think about that blessing, and other times of healing in my life, I’m encouraged. I’m hopeful. I have faith in His ability to heal me, because I recognize that He’s done it many times before!
GROWTH
Another important thing to think about is whether you let yourself grow from the circumstances that you’re in.
In my current health situation, I’ve grown in so many ways. I’ve
- Learned how to advocate for myself as a patient,
- Figured out how listen to my body so I know what it needs,
- Paced myself better so I don’t get overwhelmed,
- Gained empathy for others and their circumstances,
- Learned how to say YES to God even when it’s scary,
- And more!
If you can't think of any ways that you have grown, try making a list of skills you've gained so far in whatever you are experiencing. What have you learned about yourself? Have you learned anything about others? What can you do now that you couldn't do before?
PURPOSE
When I’m feeling useless, I forget that God created each of us for a reason. That I have a purpose.
When I feel limited physically, I think about how I double majored in Theatre and Creative Writing. I wonder how I’ll ever act, sing, dance, and more again.
There are many other things that cross my mind that are depressing, and when that happens, I need a mind-shift.
When I dive into His word, think about my personal testimony, hear the testimonies of others, and think about my growth, something happens.
I start to think about other things like
- How God led me to help others by starting this blog (writing & counseling),
- How I can use this downtime to build skills and prepare myself for future opportunities,
- And so much more!
Our plans are not God’s plans. Things may not turn out the way we think they will, but God has amazing things in store for us if we’re willing to give His way a chance!
Try asking yourself these questions:
- What are your gifts/what are you naturally good at doing?
- How are you able to grow in these talents?
- If you currently aren’t able to do something you love (physically, etc.), what is God asking you to do instead?
If you don’t know what you are good at, pray for God to show you. In the meantime, listen to your body and figure out ways to help others.
JOY
When you’re constantly thinking about God’s promises (His word), how He’s blessed you and taken care of you (your testimony), how He’s grown you (or how He will grow you if you let Him), and that you have a purpose...joy comes.
Joy doesn’t mean that you’re happy about your circumstances.
Joy comes from having faith in God that He will carry you through them.
It's His peace taking away anxiety and depression when you trust Him (Philippians 4:6-7).
Step 3: Showing yourself grace
God knows your potential and wants you to fulfill it completely in your time on this earth. However, you cannot grow towards your purpose if you don’t show yourself grace.
Those of us with chronic pain/illness need to pace ourselves more than others. This can be frustrating. It is for me.
I spent so much time focused on what I couldn’t do anymore (because of the pain and physical limitations) and trying to do it anyways.
That time could have been spent on listening to God and doing what He wanted me to do.
I made my pain worse and was always overwhelmed, depressed, and anxious.
Showing myself grace meant learning to listen to my body, getting the rest that I needed, doing physical therapy, and utilizing talk therapy from a biblical perspective.
It meant learning to say “NO” to others, and more importantly myself.
Getting that rest then allowed me to start saying “YES” to God, myself, and others. It helped me get to the point where I could pace myself.
Conclusion
To be a Christian with chronic pain, you have to keep your eyes focused on God, not your circumstances. You can do this by memorizing scripture, journaling, talking about your faith in therapy, having a community of believers supporting you, and more.
I’m not perfect. I've been on an antidepressant and have been in therapy for years. There are still times when I cry and want to throw things. However, God’s joy finds me amidst the pain. I hope it finds you too!
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