Lessons Learned from Chronic Illness

May of 2008, my world changed. On what I thought would be a relatively routine doctor visit, I got a diagnosis that altered my life. “Your blood sugar is over 400. We think you have diabetes,” the urgent care doctor said. In that moment, new fears and questions entered my head. Why me? What did I do to deserve this? Will I never be able to eat what I want again?

Maybe you’ve experienced a similar scenario in your own life or your loved ones life. The diagnosis of a chronic illness can feel debilitating. It’s hard to fight a daily battle with an illness that can never go away. As this month is Diabetes Awareness Month and I am coming up on my ten-year diaversary (anniversary of diabetes diagnosis), I wanted to share a few things I’ve learned along the way.

1.     Find a support group.

A life with chronic illness can be very lonely. Not many people “get it”. There are so many support groups for various chronic illnesses on Facebook. I recently joined one for Type 1 Diabetics. The amount of support that people are willing to give complete strangers is incredible. I have learned so much about my illness, just by reading about the experiences of others. Questions and answers flood the walls of Facebook support groups. While caution needs to be taken before accepting medical advice from people who are not medical professionals, there is a wealth of knowledge on these pages.  

2.     Get comfortable with presenting your emotions to God.

I used to be so reserved when it came to talking to God about the way I felt. I was concerned that maybe He wouldn’t love me as much if I had “real talk” with Him. Perhaps I didn’t trust that He could handle my real, raw emotions. With chronic illness comes a surplus of ever-changing emotions. God is never surprised by the way we feel. In fact, He already knows it before we ever voice our heart to Him. God desires us to speak to Him in all moments. I love the way Paul reminds the church “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6 ESV). I think that by acknowledging our feelings to God, we are reminding ourselves that He is working things out.

3.     Let others help you.

It is difficult to admit when I need help. I would rather struggle through my illness alone than speak up. The problem with chronic illness is there always comes a day when you come to the end of yourself. I think more people want to help and take a concern, but often we do not let them in. In my own heart, my refusal to ask for help boils down to pride. When I don’t allow others in to help carry my struggle, I am revealing a lack of humility. Humility says, “I know you don’t have to, but thank you for the help”.  Pride says, “I don’t need you. I can do this on my own.” This attitude of pride can spill over into my faith life; I may not come to the Lord with my medical concerns because “I’ve got this”. There is a verse in the Psalms that says, “In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God” (Psalm 10:4 NIV). May we never get so wrapped up in self-sufficiency that we lose the ability to ask for help from loved ones or God.

4.     Acknowledge the goodness of God.

When I wake up in the middle of the night because of a low blood sugar, it is contrary to first acknowledge the goodness of God. How could lost sleep be a good thing? How could my lack of blood sugar control be a blessing? I have started to change my thinking. When I have a diabetic-related issue, especially during the night, I’ve started using the extra time awake to talk to God. This time awake gives me extra time to bring thankfulness and words of praise over to God. One way to thank God for His goodness is through this Psalm, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6 ESV). Even through the rough patches of my illness, I can thank God because He is good. This mindset shift has lead to me remembering God’s goodness, whether my illness is out of control or steady.   

My chronic illness has revealed a lot of areas of strength and improvement in my life. I have learned much from my 9-ish years with diabetes. I hope the lessons I’ve learned are encouraging to you. I pray that as you battle daily your chronic illness, you will seek strength from El Shaddai, the Lord God Almighty. While chronic illness is not something that I would have asked God for, I truly believe He can use my chronic illness to grow me. My chronic illness does not have to define me. My God is teaching me how to live my life with chronic illness for His glory.