Chronic Illness Faith

Healing Before Circumstances Change

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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My Daily Musings-October 21st, 2026

In church recently, the teacher asked this question: “Why do you think healing sometimes begins with a change in our own hearts, even before our circumstances change?”

I am constantly waiting to be healed from my physical ailments. I have learned over the last few years that healing can come before my circumstances change. I might have these physical ailments the rest of my life. So if I waited for my circumstances to change before I let healing into my life, I would be waiting a long time. What I can do right now is let Jesus heal my heart, even if He doesn’t heal my physical body.

What I like to do is have an attitude of gratitude about my life. Some days it is not easy to be grateful for my circumstances. On hard health days, it’s difficult to think of things to be grateful for. But I think those are the days when I need gratitude the most, when it doesn’t come easily. Every day, even on my more difficult health days, I like to write in my gratitude journal because it helps me see that even on those days, there are still blessings in my life.

I also learn a lot from hearing stories of others who have gone through something hard. Hearing their experiences and their faith helps strengthen my own faith. I think that’s one reason I feel compelled and inspired to write about my hard experiences, so others can learn from me.

One thing I am sure of is that Jesus is always there for me. He will heal my heart, and He will help carry my heavy burdens on my more difficult days. Even if He doesn’t heal my physical body in this life, He will abide with me every day. I have felt His presence, especially on my hardest days. He will be there for you to help you carry your burdens as well.

What helps you find things to be grateful for on your hardest days? How has Jesus Christ helped you carry a burden that hasn’t been taken away?

Enjoyed this piece? Click here to read more in the series, or visit the main blog to explore more reflections.

The Courage to Continue

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The Courage to Continue

Backstory

This quote came from the book, The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barratt: “Perhaps courage is to be afraid, but to hold on still, until the end.” This book is about two sisters and other resistance fighters in WWII era in Poland. I have always admired the courage those people showed in standing up to Hitler and his regime. This made think that even though most of us are not fighting in a physical war now, we are fighting battles in our hearts. We too need courage to fight our battles every day.

The Courage to Continue

As I wake up and try to face another day,

I don’t know what will happen today.

Fear tells me to just stay in bed,

And pull the covers back over my head.

Courage inside tells me to get up,

So I do as I try to fill my almost empty faith cup.

Some days it’s hard to face another day,

Because I don’t know what crazy symptoms will come my way.

Some days are discouraging and I don’t know if I can keep going,

Fear tells me to give in to the darkness that is already growing.

Courage tells me to have faith and trust in God’s plan,

Even though I don’t know what will happen next, maybe I can.

Most days I don’t feel very strong in my soul,

But I trust that some day after this life my body will be made whole.

Fear tells me to give up the fight,

But courage tells me to go towards God’s light.

So in despair, I sink down to my knees in prayer,

Hoping that my Heavenly Father will be there.

In that moment, I feel His loving arms around me,

And His plan for my life I can more clearly see.

The Takeaway

In this day and age, we may not be fighting physical battles, but we still need courage to fight the battles within us every day. Some days, when I am living with chronic illness symptoms, it takes courage to get out of bed and face the day. I need to trust in my Heavenly Father’s plan for my life. He is there whenever I reach out to Him in prayer. I need to have courage and hold on until my battles on earth are done.

What battles are you facing in your life that require courage to keep going?

Have you ever experienced a time when you were afraid but found the courage to keep holding on? What helped you through it?

Watch the YouTube Short here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_jPci9JMArE

Abide With Me Every Hour

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Melodies & Musings

For a long time, I have loved the hymn I Need Thee Every Hour. I especially love the words to the third verse. 

I need thee ev’ry hour,
In joy or pain.
Come quickly and abide,
Or life is vain.

I need thee, oh, I need thee;
Ev’ry hour I need thee!
Oh, bless me now, my Savior;
I come to thee!

The reason this verse resonates with me so much is because I really do need my Savior every hour. I need Him when I feel joy. Most of the time, He is the source of my joy. Without Jesus, even happy moments are fleeting or without purpose. I really need Him when I feel pain. Because I have a chronic illness, pain is a part of my daily life with my body. But I think it’s also talking about pain in my heart or soul. Jesus can help me with that kind of pain more than anyone can. He has felt the pain and emotional trauma that I experience, so only He can help me heal. Without Jesus, suffering would feel purposeless and unbearable.

Then the next part of the verse includes my Word of the Year, Abide. I need my Savior to come quickly to my aid and abide with me. I don’t ever want Him to leave me. I researched the line, “Or life is vain”, and I learned that vain in this context means empty, futile, without substance, or lacking true purpose. I feel this deep in my soul. I can’t imagine my life without Jesus. Life would feel empty and without a purpose if I didn’t have Jesus to abide with me. If it weren’t for Jesus’ atoning sacrifice, life would be empty because there wouldn’t be hope for me to change, repent and become better.

When Annie S. Hawks wrote those words, the line “Or life is vain” can be understood as a declaration of total dependence. It expresses that without Christ’s presence (abiding with you through both the bright moments of joy and the heavy seasons of pain), all of earthly life’s achievements, efforts, and experiences ultimately lack permanent weight or eternal meaning.

Then the chorus expresses my feelings about my Savior so well. I need Him every hour. I feel like this is a prayer to Jesus telling Him how much I need Him, every hour of every day. Then it asks Jesus to bless me and stay with me when I reach out to Him.

When have you felt your Savior’s presence most strongly in your life? What does “I need Thee every hour” mean to you personally?

Here’s the short video of me singing this verse acapella:https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lfDmm8t_mGM

Living Hope in Christ

/ Christine Maynor / 1 Comment

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Backstory: 
I saw this quote recently and I could relate to its message deeply. It said, “We do not make it through suffering by pretending it doesn’t hurt. We endure by holding to the living hope we have in Christ.” We all have trials that are so hard to bear that we feel like they might break us. I love that this quote talks about “living hope” through Christ. Jesus is living and because of Him, we can always have hope. This writing is in the style of a prayer to my Heavenly Father.

Living Hope in Christ

My dear Father who resides in Heaven,
I can feel Your love for me without question.
But Father, some days the weight of my burdens is so heavy to bear,
And I feel like my heart is broken enough that it might tear.

My chronic illness symptoms are so hard to carry on my own,
That I wish You were here with me, so I wouldn’t feel so alone.
If only I could feel Your loving embrace,
And You could dry the tears on my face.

Please, help me to feel Your loving arms around me,
So that my blessings I can more easily see.
You loved me enough to send me Your Beloved Son,
To feel my pain and sorrows as the Atoning One.

Because of Jesus, help me to hold onto hope,
So that with my burdens, I can more easily cope.
Help me to turn to Him when my burdens weigh me down,
So I can feel lighter because of Him, who wears the crown.

Yes, I have days when it’s hard to get out of bed,
And I just want to pull the covers back over my head.
Please, Father, help me to feel the living hope in my soul,
Because of Your Son so my heart can feel whole.

The Takeaway: We all have trials that sometimes seem to weigh us down because the weight is so heavy to bear. We all have days when we get discouraged and we don’t know if we can make it anymore. But there is living hope because of the sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ. If we just turn to our Heavenly Father and our Savior, we can feel lighter and know that we are never alone.

Watch the YouTube short of me reading part of this poem here:https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5FwFrpOq6L4

A Single Thread of Hope

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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My Daily Musings-July 2nd, 2026

“Even a single thread of hope is still a very powerful thing. Grab onto it with both hands and never let it go.” — Lorri Faye

I love this quote because it perfectly describes what hope can look like on the hardest days.

Living with chronic illness has taught me that some days all I can do is hope that tomorrow will be a little better. When my symptoms are especially difficult, I don’t have the strength to do much else. On those days, that single thread of hope is enough. I choose to grab onto it with both hands and refuse to let go.

Then there are other days when my health is better, and hope seems easier to hold. It feels stronger, brighter, and more abundant. But I’ve realized that hope doesn’t have to be big to be powerful. Even the smallest thread can carry us through until brighter days come.

Whatever you’re facing today, don’t underestimate the power of hope. Hold onto it tightly. Sometimes that one small thread is exactly what God uses to help us keep moving forward.

What helps you hold onto hope when life feels especially hard? Have you ever found that even a small amount of hope was enough to carry you through one more day?