Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh, I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. The word “chronic”, as the author explains, is often used in a more negative way as in chronic health conditions; Bartz, however, says that chronic is something that is always there, it’s not going to go away. In stark contrast to one of the reviewers who said, "to think God “ordained” such makes me feel angry and rebellious against such a God," there is this quote by Charles Spurgeon who spent his whole life battling severe depression and gout.

The necessity of trusting in the sovereignty of God is made clear, yet, the comforting love of God is also evident. I appreciate that Chronic Love goes much deeper into the life of author Brooke Bartz, teaching readers how to deal with the chronic illness each of us face daily. She is the founder of Open Hearts in a Closed World Ministry and Conference and is involved in women’s ministry at her church.Despite that I found the book, in my opinion, to ramble, sometimes from one thought to another and back again. CLC is a community that started on Instagram in 2017, with the vision that with love and support for one another, together we can get through the hard times with chronic illness and disabilities. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Each chapter employs the adjective “chronic” affixed to a Christian concept, upending the negative connotation of the word and demonstrating how Christ’s character and example show us how to live no matter the state of our physical condition. Each year Ambassador International works with a variety of talented, passionate authors using their gifts to change lives. Many women get frustrated with the world and then go into depression or have anxiety about trying to get it all done, even through their illness. For those of us who are in Christ, we have the assurance that we will enter His kingdom whole and complete, and that one day He will give us resurrection bodies.Even with that, I would recommend the book for the discerning reader for there is much to learn from author Brooke Bartz, who herself is well acquainted with chronic illness, sharing her love and compassion for others with passion and exhortation. Having “invisible” disabilities makes life more challenging because people assume you are well and don’t understand why you can’t do things or go places.

By reading "Chronic Love" I not only received an education of how to preach to myself in the midst of suffering, but was also taught what it looks like to not waste an education, or waste my suffering. But it’s also not all doom and gloom either… because the hope we have for eternity through Jesus far surpasses any hardships we may face on earth. For me, I do not believe chronic illness or cancer or any other “negative” aspect of the human condition is the result of the fall of man ages ago in the Garden of Eden.In Luke 22:42 we see the most stunning reality of the mystery of suffering as our Lord Himself pleads to the Father through agony and great drops of blood, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done. There is so much more about Christ suffering in us, feeling our infirmities, being under the yoke and bearing the burden of our afflictions and our anxieties. As one who experiences more than one chronic condition, to think God “ordained” such makes me feel angry and rebellious against such a God.

Chronic Love” overflows with Scripture verses and an abundance of encouragement and affirmation for women in all stages of illness. I highly Recommend this book to anyone who suffers from chronic illness, knows someone who does, or anyone who would like to be encouraged by the rich theology and inspirational words that can be found in this book. Yet disease was not always her close companion; in the years before her diagnosis, she grew up playing sports and earned a full scholarship to play volleyball at the University of Mary Hardin–Baylor. Unfortunately, there was a basic, or maybe not so basic, paradigm shared in the first chapter of the book that I believe many will question.Chronic Love” captured my attention because of its subtitle: “Trusting God While Suffering with a Chronic Illness”. At Chronic Love, in collaboration with our generous featured guests, we share candid discussions about living with and beyond chronic illness with the intention of showing the humanity, the wholeness of life impacted by chronic disease and chronic conditions.