Chronic Illness Journey

The Waiting Room

/ Christine Maynor / 1 Comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

Backstory:
Lately, I have spent a lot of time waiting—waiting in doctor offices, waiting for bloodwork results, waiting for answers that never seem to fully come. Living with chronic illness can feel exhausting, especially when tests say everything is “normal” while your body tells a different story. In the middle of the uncertainty, the endless appointments, and the quiet discouragement, I have been thinking about how much faith can be required simply to keep going. This writing was inspired by the emotional and spiritual waiting game that so many people silently live through every day. 

The Waiting Room

I wake up every day and get out of my bed,
But I just want to stay and pull the covers over my head.
I have another doctor’s appointment later in the day,
And the monotony is more than I can say.

Waiting is a normal part of having a chronic illness,
And it gets lonely sitting in the stillness.
My life feels like a waiting room,
Hoping for answers but resting in the gloom.

Getting my blood drawn and more tests done,
The heavy burden sometimes weighs a ton.
Waiting to be seen, not just treated as a number.
When I am so exhausted that I would rather slumber.

Then the tests show that everything is fine
When that’s not what my body says with every sign.
Constantly waiting feels like walking a road all alone,
Searching for answers that seem to be unknown.

But I pray every day for the strength to keep going,
And hope that my struggle on the inside isn’t showing.
I trust that my Heavenly Father will lead and guide me
And with Him by my side, from the burden I’ll be free.

The Takeaway: Sometimes faith is not found in immediate healing or clear answers, but in continuing to hope while living in the unknown. Even in the waiting, Heavenly Father sees our struggles, hears our prayers, and walks beside us through every unanswered question. 

Check out my YouTube short on this topic here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAChXNyINdA

The Names Heaven Calls Me

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

Backstory:
Lately, I’ve been working with my therapist on understanding my thoughts—especially the discouraging ones that seem to show up uninvited, often on my hardest health days. I’ve learned that while I can’t always control which thoughts enter my mind, I can choose what I do with them. We also talked about the labels I sometimes place on myself, like defining myself by my chronic illness. But deep down, I know that’s not who I truly am. I am a beloved daughter of a Heavenly King. This writing grew out of my effort to let that truth speak louder than the discouragement, and to gently redirect my thoughts back to who God says I am.

The Names Heaven Calls Me

Sometimes thoughts come into my mind
And honestly, they are not very kind.
They come in like a wind that I can’t control
But in my mind, they shouldn’t play a big role.

I sometimes define myself by my chronic illness
And I get discouraged when I am by myself in the stillness.
With fatigue and pain in my body each day,
And the weight on my shoulders is a heavy price to pay.

I am told that I can control each thought
That enters my mind so that I’m not so distraught.
So, I try to stay positive even when it’s hard
Because my illness makes my heart constantly feel scarred.

Just when I feel like I can’t make it anymore,
My Heavenly Father is there to get me up off the floor.
He knows my every struggle even when I feel alone
And like my worries and burdens are to everyone unknown.

I am the beloved daughter of a Heavenly King
And this should make my soul want to sing!
So I try to feel His warm embrace on my skin
And I know with Him, my daily battles I will win.

The Takeaway: Not every thought that enters your mind deserves to stay. You are not defined by your hardest days, your struggles, or the labels you’ve carried. When discouragement comes, you can choose—again and again—to see yourself the way God sees you: loved, known, and more than enough.