When the Hurt Won't Heal: Living with Chronic Illness

Ask the Christian Counselor

by Craig K. Svensson

Craig K. Svensson helps those living with a chronic illness examine its effect on their spiritual life and find hope amid their suffering.

In a society that emphasizes the importance of good health, those living with constant pain, unending fatigue, depression, or a host of other never-ending physical and mental symptoms struggle to accept the providence of God in their illness and the limitations that illness brings. It’s easy to become so consumed with the physical nature of your illness that you fail to see the most important impact is spiritual.

Svensson knows from personal experience how hard it is to navigate the spiritual, emotional, and relational challenges that arise when living with an ongoing ailment. He shares what he’s learned about God’s comfort and care through his struggles. If you are navigating life with chronic illness, When the Hurt Won’t Heal will help you find the path to growing in faith despite the pain, fear, or darkness you may be experiencing.Practical, accessible, spiritual guidance for sufferers and their caregivers to grow trust in God and his daily sustaining grace.Provides readers with five tools to anchor and encourage the heart amid physical suffering.Part of the Ask the Christian Counselor series, walking readers through their deepest and most profound questions.Compact format goes deeper than New Growth Press’s popular minibooks without overwhelming the reader.

Genres: Counselling, Nonfiction

80 pages, Paperback

Published September 23, 2024

Reviews

[Katelyn Friesen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an easy, deep, short read with reflections from one chronic illness warrior to another. Craig K Svensson delves into topics such as anger, anxiety, bitterness, guilt, fear of man, how to or not pray for healing, and several other topics in which we may respond to our chronic illness. With his professional experience working in the medical field with chronic pain patients to being one himself, he really gets what it is like to live with unrelenting pain and encourages us through the depths of God’s Word that has the capacity to comfort the weary, hurting body, mind, and soul. I highly recommend this book, to anybody with chronic illness or who works with someone with chronic pain and illness as these simple biblical truths and insights have the power to encourage any chronic sufferer no matter your stage of illness and journey.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you live with a chronic illness, life can be challenging. Craig Svensson has lived with chronic illness and understands what we live with daily. There is so much in this book to help Christians live with hurts that won’t heal. Chapter topics include: finding help, trusting God, learning obedience, endurance and more.
What I appreciated was the questions at the end of each chapter for reflection and application. The questions and tips can be very helpful when living with chronic illness.
When the Hurt Won’t Heal is a book I will be reading again.
If you are living with a chronic illness, no matter what that illness, you will find help when it comes to living life. I highly recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of When the Hurt Won’t Heal. This is my honest review.

[Vic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really helpful, insightful book into living with chronic illness as a Christian. Being only 69 pages it is a realistic length for those who, due to illness, may not be able to persevere through a more lengthy book. Suffering with chronic illness himself, Craig writes with insight and credibility and point us to Christ when the hurt won’t heal.