How to choose joy in Jesus during chronic illness is not a “one and done” item to check off your to-do list. Even on your best days, living with chronic pain/illness is hard. But, despite the odds, it’s absolutely possible to live a life of joy. Choosing joy takes the right attitude, a shift of perspective and constantly looking for the good in each day and every situation.
How to Choose Joy in Jesus: The Right Attitude
Life, even under the best of circumstances, is hard. Life with chronic illness is harder and that’s an understatement. Those of us living the chronic illness life face an innumerable amount of challenges everyday. Often, the weight of it all can get heavy, very heavy. It’s for all of those reasons that we must meet each day with the right attitude and one that looks for the positives. I’m a realist. I know the limits of my body pretty well and have to make tough decisions based on that knowledge everyday. It’s easy to feel down and discouraged by the limitations your body places on you.
I could choose to live my life constantly discouraged and throw in the towel. But, what benefit would that bring? None. Would choosing to focus each day on the things I can’t do and the negative aspects of this life bring glory to God? No, it wouldn’t. I wouldn’t be able to encourage others and I wouldn’t be helping myself either. There’s no point in allowing myself to wallow in self-pity day after day. Sure, I went through a long season of that. I finally realized that I was grieving what chronic pain and illness had taken from me. Once I realized what I was actually feeling; I, then allowed myself to grieve. To be transparent, I still have hard days, hard moments. Days that it feels like the grief washes over me fresh again. But, I have to dust myself off and keep trying.
An “attitude of gratitude” makes a big difference in how you approach your challenges. I’ve lived through seasons I had to have help getting out of bed. Now, I’m grateful for each day I’m able to get up on my own. I know reality is that there are others who wasn’t able to do so and because I know what it feels like to have to depend on someone to help me get around, I’m thankful to the Lord for every day I can do it without someone assisting me.
How to Choose Joy in Jesus: Perspective Shift
When you’re approaching each day with the right attitude, a shift in perspective will easily follow suite. Perspective is everything! How we view the challenges we face each day is critical in maintaining an “attitude of gratitude”. I never have to look very far to see someone that reminds me I’m blessed. Because I’ve lived through those seasons I couldn’t get out of the bed on my own, I wake up thankful that my feet touched the floor and I didn’t need my husband to help me. I know it’s only by God’s grace that I can and I also know that somewhere someone else wasn’t able to do that.
Everyone who lives with chronic pain experiences those really bad days when the pain sends you reeling and not in a good way. The high pain days used to unravel me in a way I can’t really describe in words. Now, I don’t come unraveled. I’ve survived high pain days before and with the help of the Lord, I’ll keep on surviving them. How do I know that? I know because when the Apostle Paul asked the Lord three times to remove his thorn in the flesh, the Lord replied “My grace is sufficient for thee…” 2 Corinthians 12:9. If God’s grace was sufficient for Paul; then, it will also be sufficient for me and you too.
How to Choose Joy in Jesus: Look for the Good
Choosing joy in Jesus takes constantly looking for the good in every day and in every situation, even if it takes you some time to find it. Some people are naturally positive and some are more pessimistic. Regardless of where your tendencies lie, you have control over what you choose to look for in each situation. You can choose to look for the negatives or you can choose to look for the positives. There’s always something that’s a positive. In every situation, even in dire and tragic circumstances, there’s something that can be viewed as a positive. There may be times you have to really search for it and there may be times you have to take a negative and put a positive spin on it because it’s not worse. Again, you have control over what you choose to look for.
If you’ll get up each day and look for the highlight moments, the little wins, what you were able to accomplish, etc. and brush off the negatives; then, you’re well on your way to choosing joy. I know it’s much easier said than done and I’ll be the first one to say I’m still a work in progress. But, having this attitude has helped me a great deal and I believe it could help you too.
Choosing Joy in Jesus: It’s Your Choice to Make
Choosing joy is possible for us as Christians despite living with chronic pain/illness, numerous trials and seasons of struggles. It’s possible only through the grace and love of Jesus Christ. But, it’s ultimately our choice to make and it’s a choice we must continue making each day. Choosing joy is not a one and done item on your daily list of “to-do’s”. It requires the right attitude, a shift in perspective and always looking for the good in every situation and in each day. Living life with chronic illness is hard; but, it doesn’t mean that we have to have a sour countenance or a sad demeanor all the time. We can choose to live with joy in our hearts despite our circumstances! It’s a choice we get to make. Will you start choosing joy today?
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