Daily Devotions for Caregivers

  I've spent quite a bit of time in Nehemiah the last year or so. I taught a class via Zoom in Pakistan, and we went through the entire book. I am currently turning all those notes into a study guide. Hopefully, I'll make better progress on it and get it done soon!  I didn't realize how full of prophetic action Nehemiah is. Intriguing as that is, it's not usually that that draws me back over and over. I also used Nehemiah for my leadership conferences. It's such a great book for all of us, and for leaders. It works for leadership, and that's why I included Nehemiah in the four men studied in Making of a Leader. So, this morning, I found myself going back through Nehemiah. Honestly, I looked at the first page of the book and thought, why isn't this more marked up? lol. As my eyes ran back over chapter 1, a phrase jumped out at me. It's in verse 9. It is in Nehemiah's prayer, and he says,  even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring y...

I make a lot of promises, mostly to myself. One promise I make is every night as I am lying down, I promise tomorrow I'll work harder. I'll do better. Another frequent promise I've been making to myself is to talk kinder to ME! Yesterday, I was encouraging Chris as I was transfering him from bed to chair. I wondered if I could say those things to myself.  Good job! Way to try! I've got you! Negative self-talk is so destructive, but it seems to go with the territory. I don't know why. Perhaps because we are in a constant state of overwhelm. Maybe because we feel inadequate. Or maybe it's because no matter how much we do, we never feel we've accomplished it all. Who knows? So, this morning I was looking for some positives to speak to my soul. I found a whole list of things in Isaiah 49. I think sometime last year I did a series of sorts on these points. But this morning, I wanted to string them all together to encourage myself and you, too! This seems to be pa...

 This week, I re-explored the story of the 3 Hebrew Children. The king had set up an idol and demanded that everyone bow down to it when they heard the music start. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah refused to bow to any god but God. The king threatened to throw them into a fiery furnace, which would mean sure death. They still refused to bow. I love their faith statement. Our God is able to deliver us, they said. But if He doesn't, we still won't bow. They must have had some doubt that God was going to come riding in on His proverbial white horse to deliver them. But they were resolute. Even if...  they would not bow! I wonder what they thought as the day began to unfold. God didn't come before the ropes were tightly secured around their hands. Maybe they looked toward heaven and asked, Are you coming now? No sign yet. They were led toward the furnace, which was being heated up 7 times more than normal, to represent the king's anger toward them.    Just before they get...

 I LOVE my flowers. I enjoy houseplants, too. Maybe it's because I love being surrounded by life and beauty. The last couple of years, I haven't had the money to buy any outside plants. But this year, I went ahead and splurged even though the budget was super tight. I am so glad I did!  My inside, fully shaded patio has greenery and beautiful flowers hanging, creating a small haven where I can sip tea and read if I get a minute or two. My other patio has LOTS of sunshine most of the day, so this year I tried sunflowers, and I was not disappointed! I've so enjoyed them, especially in the early mornings, they seem to be so happy, smiling, and waving good morning! I've never had sunflowers before, so I didn't know how they would do. They do take some tending, but they seem to be doing pretty good. But I noticed yesterday that there are lots of dead ones, lots of beautifully bloomed ones, and plenty all ready to open up at next morning's light!  I hadn't really ...

 I "found" a scripture last week that described my typical caregiving day. It's in Genesys 42:36. Jakob has found himself in a hard spot. He lost Joseph a lifetime ago; now there is a famine in the land, and it's extreme. He sent his older sons to Egypt to get some food so they could survive. Now, the "mean" leader that they are unaware of is Joseph himself, who wants them to return. But he is requesting that they bring Benjamin to prove their story is true. Jakob cries out, "You have bereaved me of my children, Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin?" (ESV) His next breath is spent with the thought that comes behind many sighs. Everything is going against me!" (NLT)  Have you ever felt that way? Things can pile up so quickly on any given caregiving day, and it can feel like everything in life is working against us. It can be a few big things, numerous "smaller" things, or a combination of the two that ...

 It simply is NOT easy taking care of another whole person. I don't know about you, but I find myself second-guessing nearly every decision. My hope was that this would get better over time, but it has not. No matter how big or small a matter is, it seems like there is always a question.  Did I make the right choice? Was that the wrong decision? If I'm not careful (overthinker that I am), I will let those questions drag me into the emotional abyss and convince me that every decision I've ever made was wrong. LOL. Funny, but somehow it happens! It's just hard to make decisions for another person, especially if they can't weigh in on things that affect them. For some of us, myself included, there's enough second-guessing about the decisions that affect us directly, without the emotional mix that comes with making decisions for (or about) others.  Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet up with a missionary who visited my uncle's church last Sunday. We hit it ...