How To Find New Purpose With Chronic Illness

Connected Carole’s note: my apologies for not presenting Part Two of Lydia’s post about caregiving for her father when she herself needed care. Lydia has experienced a severe flare. Please keep an eye out for it as I will post it when she is able to write again. Meanwhile, please enjoy Patti Burkett’s guest post on finding purpose with chronic illness.

Patti Beck Burkett

She is a passionate follower of Jesus, and one very blessed wife, mom and grandma. She loves making a big pot of something simple and having people over, serving at her church and anything outdoors (in a city girl way). She also happens to have a rare neurological disease called Chiari. Patti loves writing to share spiritual encouragement and practical solutions for other women facing chronic illness at Hope No Matter What. You can also connect with her on Facebook page.

Need Purpose? Read Patti’s Article

One of the most heartbreaking things I hear from others with chronic illness is that they feel they have no purpose anymore.

I’ve sure been there.

When my neurological disease got so bad that my whole life got turned upside down, I wondered if I still had a purpose too.

I’d loved teaching elementary and special needs kids on a full-time basis so much. I cried the day I signed my papers for my medical retirement.

I’d always been devoted to taking care of my family. Now I couldn’t wash my own hair. Couldn’t boil water for a cup of tea. My husband and adult children had to take care of me. I felt I was only adding to the burdens they already carried. That broke my heart.

I felt so useless.

Maybe you’ve been there yourself?

So what do we do? How do we find our purpose again when chronic illness brings life as we know it to an end? When our lives feel so small and we can’t imagine how we can ever make a contribution again?

Well, I sure don’t have all the answers. It’s a long road back. Yet with patience and perseverance, I believe with all my heart that each one of us CAN come back to a place of meaning and purpose in our lives.

If you’re reading this and wondering if you can make it back to such a place, then I want to assure you that I know you can.

I believe with all my heart that you still have so much to offer, friend!

Here are some things that have helped me find my way back to a life of meaning and purpose:

START WITH PRAYER

Oh, how often I neglect to start with prayer! I’m speaking to myself here more than anyone. Yet when we need to figure out something as deeply personal and complex as finding a new purpose, then where else would we start?

God made us. He knows the ins and outs of every single thing about us. He knows about us before chronic illness and he knows everything about us now.

He knows what we’re truly good at doing. He knows the desires of our hearts. And he knows our heartbreak and pain over our limitations.

And if you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior (for more read here), then he’s already got a plan for your life. Yes, even your life with chronic illness! God’s Word says:

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us do” (Ephesians 2:10, NIV).

This totally blows me away! He’s already got good things planned for us to do. Yes, even as we live out our chronic illness life. So one of the best things we can do is to ask God for the wisdom we need to understand our new purpose. That doesn’t mean we don’t use our God given brains. It just means it’s the best place to start.

RECOGNIZE IT’S ABOUT WHO YOU ARE

Another thing that’s so helpful as we think about our new purpose, is to remember that it’s really about who we are.

Were you kind, a good listener or funny before chronic illness hit? Okay, maybe you’re completely worn out now. Yet those traits are part of who you are. They’re still in there. You can still bless people with all of those things, even if it looks different now.

God’s Word is especially clear that what matters to him most is our character. As a believer in Christ, the Holy Spirit began working in you to make you more like Jesus the moment you believed. His desire is that everyone would come to know Jesus better through you:

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16, NIV).

No matter what chronic illness has stolen from us, it can’t steal this high calling we have to spread the love of Jesus through our attitudes and actions!

LOOK AT WHAT YOU USED TO DO

Another thing we can do to find our new purpose is to look back at our lives before chronic illness and take inventory.

I know! It can be so painful to look back at our old lives, but the idea isn’t to dwell there. This time, the purpose is to see how we can repurpose what we used to do into something new.

For example, I mentioned that I was a teacher. Since my neurological disorder got so much worse, it’s unsafe and too exhausting for me to be around large groups of children.

However, I can still share Bible stories with my grandsons. I love seeing how God has used this time we’ve spent together in his Word to grow their faith over the years!

I also enjoyed cooking large meals for my family, but I haven’t been able to push a grocery cart for years and can’t even open my own oven anymore without aggravating my symptoms.

Now I do an online grocery order once a week to make sure our kitchen stays stocked for easy to prepare meals. My husband and son always have what they need on hand for sandwiches and together, we make ultra simple dinners.

What about you? What are some of the things you loved to do and how can you repurpose them for the realities of living with chronic illness?

MY PRAYER FOR YOU

I know chronic illness brings so many unwelcome changes, friend. My heart hurts for your losses as well as my own. Yet we CAN find a new purpose. May God comfort your heart and bless you with the wisdom you need to understand his purposes for your life!