Can Contentment Co-Exist with Chronic Illness?

Today’s post is sponsored by Dena Dyer, an author and friend who also lives with chronic pain and fatigue. You might recall my conversation with Dena in The Incurable Faith Book Club. (You can watch it here.) Dena and I recently talked about ways to cultivate contentment amid our limitations; it’s a joy to share her words with you here.

Can Contentment Co-Exist with Chronic Illness? by Dena Dyer

I’ll be honest…I struggle with contentment. It’s difficult to rest in Christ and cease striving when it feels like my body is at war against me. I’m tempted to pout, spend time in meaningless pursuits, or ignore the disciplines of prayer and Bible study.

Still, I know God wants me to experience contentment. Surrendering to Him about finances, jobs, and family issues has always brought stillness and peace, just as He promises in His word: “Thou wilt keep Him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee because He trusts in Thee” (Isaiah 26:3, KJV).

When I’m content, my mind calms down, and stressful situations seem more manageable. My heart slows, and I feel less anxious and afraid. I also experience fewer stress-related physical symptoms.

Perhaps as someone who suffers physically or cares for those who are chronically ill, you also long for contentment, but find it as elusive as I often do.

Contentment, much like the spiritual gifts, is not something we can conjure up or achieve without supernatural intervention. (It’s also not resignation to our circumstances to the degree that we stop seeking better treatments, praying for healing if God wills it, or looking for ways to be grateful amid suffering.) In Philippians, Paul notes that he has learned to be content in every situation—not through mastering his emotions on his own, but through Jesus Christ, who gives him strength.

Just as we can’t be good enough for God to save us, we can’t muster up contentment. Instead, we must consciously connect with Christ daily and allow Him to work contentment into our lives, just as a baker works yeast into dough. When we submit our “wants” to Jesus, He refines them until we desire what He desires and nothing more. He gives us peace, strength, and endurance in the face of challenging illnesses and circumstances.

As Andrea Herzer wrote in Incurable Faith: "Contentment does not mean that we embrace illness; it means that we embrace God's strength to endure in the midst of it."

We can also be encouraged by the Lord’s comforting (and miraculous!) presence that journeys with us as we walk the difficult road of caregiving or living with chronic pain and sickness. In Exodus 33, God told Moses that He would send an angel with the Israelites as they crossed into the Promised Land. But Moses answered, “Unless you will go with us, don’t send us!”

Friends--may that be our cry, as well. In moments of suffering or seasons of joy, let’s fix our gaze on the One who died to save us. Whatever God asks of us, we can truly be content because He goes with us.

Prayer: Lord, with Your help, I can live in contentment. Grant me peace with my situation and future; thank You for always being by my side.  

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