How to Keep Believing When You’re Suffering
A Guide to Braving Chronic Illness
I started writing How to Keep Believing When You’re Suffering for me…
It is my personal battleplan of how God and I fought together for my faith and quality-of-life. It is a book for people who are exhausted, overwhelmed, and broken. How to Keep Believing When You’re Suffering is for all my brothers and sisters who wonder:
How can I keep believing in God’s goodness when he hasn’t healed me or answered my prayers? How do I move beyond grief, disappointment, and anger to have faith in God’s promises for me? Is it possible to genuinely be positive about my future when I’m facing a lifetime of disability? Can I trust Jesus to repurpose my shattered life? What steps can I take to begin moving forward?
In my battle with chronic illness, Jesus has enabled me to have more peace and joy than I ever thought possible. May I share the lifelines that help me hold onto hope?
In the pages of How to Keep Believing When You’re Suffering you will:
Meet your teammate. Discover the radical implications of Jesus’ name Immanuel (“God with us”). Christ intimately understands your situation and your feelings of grief.
Acquire strategies for overcoming guilt, anxiety, and feelings of inadequacy.
Refresh your mind with key biblical truths that promote awareness of God’s love for you. You will always have worth and a future to look forward to because your identity is in Christ.
Discover how God’s ways are not our ways. Spoiler: God loves breaking the rules to your advantage.
Build a healthy foundation for your prayer life and reclaim prayers that have run away with worry. You can connect honestly with God and develop habits that give your prayers a positive focus.
Learn tips for discerning God’s voice in stressful seasons.
Discover helpful prayers for when you need peace, faith, or a divine attitude adjustment.
Gather practical ideas for spiritually growing when you’re just trying to keep going.
Find an honest examination of how God has used disability to change me. Has he shifted my perspective in the decade following my initial diagnosis? May a transparent look at my frustrations and celebrations inspire you to hope.
Life’s toughest problems, require practical Christian teaching. As an author fighting chronic illness I’m committed to:
Actionable Bible Instruction: How to Keep Believing When You’re Suffering is not a set of mandatory rules you must follow, but an arsenal of tools for you to use as needed. Every belief/practice is grounded in scripture and has been evaluated by two pastors for spiritual soundness. God’s word is the only sure foundation for our truth.
Respecting Nuance: Suffering is not a theological idea to me—it is a painful reality. Let’s have a balanced and compassionate discussion of this complex issue. The last thing I want to do is to slap a silver-linings Band-Aid over your grief.
Transparency: I believe vulnerability is the only way to set others free. Like all battles, mine has been messy. I have not always fought bravely. I still get frustrated by my limitations. My book spans a ten-year journey of snowballing symptoms, gut wrenching anxiety, unexpected relief, God’s extravagant goodness, and everything else in between. As we walk this road together, I promise to be honest.
An Accessible Format: How to Keep Believing When You’re Suffering has 54 bite-sized chapters, clear titles, and lists of helpful Bible verses to provide ready-made support. Click through the quotes below for a sneak peek.
Even when our bodies remain broken, God is capable of healing our hurts and our hearts. He can illuminate our darkest nightmares with triumph (John 1:5). May the comfort I’ve received from him encourage and empower you. Jesus is your way forward.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” –John 14:6
