Review of Chronic Illness: Walking By Faith by Esther Smith

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Has it been really hard to hold onto your Christian faith since you’ve been diagnosed with chronic illness/pain? This devotional by Esther Smith discusses the hard things about chronic illness, and sheds light on what God has to say to us when we suffer. Esther has taken her experiences with chronic illness/pain, and has created a book filled with encouragement to help strengthen your faith in God. In this devotional, she shares with us the lessons she has learned on her life journey. She says in the introduction:

“This devotional is divided into four sections that highlight four lessons Scripture has taught me about how to faithfully live with chronic illness.”

Walking By Faith Lessons

1. “The first lesson is this: Draw near to God, because he is your only certainty.”
2. The second is: “Take care of yourself, because God is glorified when you faithfully care for the body and soul he has given you.”
3. The third lesson is: “Live each day with purpose, using your gifts to serve others, and you will bring encouragement to your soul.”
4. And the fourth lesson is: “Don’t give up.“

Walking By Faith Format

Each day’s devotional is two pages long with a gray box at the end. The box has questions to Reflect on, and Act on.

For example, the last paragraph of Day 2 says:

“Faith is essential, because God is invisible. We can’t see God, so we have to take him at his word. Perhaps there will be times when God asks us the same questions that we ask our doctors: Will you trust me? Will you take me at my word? Just because you can’t see the things I tell you doesn’t mean they aren’t real.”

“Reflect: Can you believe God’s promises when visible evidence in your life seems to contradict what they say? This is exactly what we want people to do for us. And isn’t God so much more trustworthy than we are?”

“Act: Ask God to help you to trust him when things don’t make sense.”

My Thoughts

I found many gems of wisdom in Esther’s book, and her Reflect and Act questions are thought provoking in a good way. The above quote and Reflect questions really opened my eyes to the fact that it is so easy for me to mistrust God, and at the same time feel angry when others don’t believe me about my symptoms or limitations. It never dawned on me that God might feel the same way when I don’t trust him at His word.

The only fault I have with her book is that the binding doesn’t lay flat, and the print is so small. I bought this when I was still in a sling with my broken shoulder. Holding onto it with one hand was very difficult, because it kept closing on me. I think it’s probably in this binding, and print size because it is part of a series by P&R Publishing. One of those cookbook holders would have come in handy.

I definitely plan to re-read this book in the future, because it is so encouraging. Get yourself a copy. You won’t regret it.

Wrap Up

I’m a fan of anything Esther Smith puts out. I’ve written two other reviews about her publications. You can read my review of her pain course here: https://www.upbeatliving.net/review-what-really-helps-people-chronic-pain-course-esther-smith/

And you can read my review of her earlier book here: https://www.upbeatliving.net/a-review-but-god-more-useful-if-i-were-healthy-acceptance/

You can check out Esther’s blog here: https://www.lifeinslowmotionblog.com/about/

I’ve been nominated for two WEGO Health Awards!! Thank you Caz for the Lifetime Achievement nomination! Thank you, also, to the person who nominated me for Best in Show: Blog. I am thrilled and surprised, and honored! If you would like to vote for me please click here: https://www.wegohealth.com/KathyForsyth/awards

If you have read any of Esther’s books or done any of her courses, I’d love to hear your thoughts below.

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Till next time, stay safe, Kathy