Why to Share Your Chronic Illness Story

Sharing our chronic illness stories is uncomfortable. It requires us to be vulnerable, to open ourselves up to rejection and hurt. Yet the return on our investment is worth it.

A few years ago, I was working as the managing editor for a content-based website at a university, and I shared my story on that larger platform. I received emails from people and was stopped as I walked around campus by those who wanted to thank me for being transparent and who resonated with my story because they too had a chronic illness. This experience reinforced for me the importance of sharing my chronic illness story.

Realize You’re Not Alone

When you share your story, others realize they are not alone in their chronic illness. The struggles they face, you’ve faced them too. People will want to talk. Because you understand, you have a real potential to encourage.

Some very special relationships can be formed when bonding over chronic illnesses. These are real iron-sharpening-iron relationships (Prov. 27:17). You understand the battles you each face better than most and know how to encourage each other in the trenches.

I was nervous when I first started sharing my chronic illness story publicly. I didn’t know how people would react or if anyone would even read it. But people did read it, and the response has been encouraging. And humbling.

Share the Comfort

Another goal of sharing your story is to share the comfort God has given you. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1:3–4 that God is “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

When we share our chronic illness stories, we have the opportunity to share the comfort God has provided. Where does this comfort come from? It comes from prayer, from reading His Word, from meditating on who He is, from remembering His promises, and from the encouragement and fellowship of other Christians.

Testify of God’s Character

Perhaps the most important reason we should share our stories is because, as we do so, we rehearse who God is to those who are listening. Chronic illness is an excellent teacher—even as we don’t like learning the lessons. But those lessons are invaluable.

I’ve learned so much about God as I’ve walked my chronic illness journey. He never changes. He is the God of all comfort. He is so loving and good. He gives so much grace. And so much more. Enough to fuel a book.

You can share what you’ve learned too. Start small. The next time someone asks how you’re doing, ask if you can share what you’ve been learning through your journey. Or the next time you meet someone who also has a chronic illness, share what you’ve learned (tactfully, of course—we all know those who are too forceful, and that’s not helpful). The more we share, the more we realize we’re not alone.