Daily Devotions for Caregivers

When tragedy struck and my world was shaken I had to find a way to figure out what was going on. I have to admit my faith (or what I thought had been faith) was shaken as well. There were times I was angry with God and didn't understand how He could let awful things happen. I began to read His word with new eyes. It didn't take long to realize that the Bible is full of stories about hurting people and our heroes are our heroes because  of the things they faced - not the things they avoided. This morning I found this scripture as I was reading Isaiah. In chapter 48 verse 21 it says They did not thirst when He led them through the deserts.  I'm thinking there are several key points here the first being that they didn't thirst  even in the desert. He provided all along the way and this is something I can attest to. I've always seen God provide and never questioned it at all, but when my son was injured in an accident and my world turned upside down I sat in a hospita

When Jesus came to Gethsemane, His first response was to pray. Then in Mark 14:33 these words stuck out to me this morning: and He began to be very distressed and troubled.  How could that be? Jesus told the disciples repeatedly to not  be troubled, yet we read here that He is in deep distress. Did He contradict Himself? Of course not! He told the disciples that were with Him that He was deeply grieved to the point of death . And then He began to pray. There are a couple more things that stick out to me here. One thing is that He told those close to Him how He felt.  As caregivers, we do not tend to do that very much. For the most part, we are the ones carrying the load and in many cases we are walking it alone. Sometimes there may not be anyone close enough to tell that you're having a difficult time, are depressed or overburdened. Other times, we just cannot admit our weakness as we don't want others to think we cannot carry the load - we have to be strong for those we are

This week I am meditating and praying Psalm 51:12 and Romans 15:13 and asking God to restore joy. This morning I stayed in Psalm 51 and looked at what follows David's request for the Lord to restore his joy. He prays for joy then says, and make me willing to obey You.  Isn't that an odd combination? Lord, restore my joy and make me willing  to obey You ? Are the two interconnected in some way? When did David not  obey the Lord? In this case, the Psalm was written after his affair with Bathsheba and his disobedience did end up stealing his joy. Not only did he desire for the Lord to restore his pre-sin joy - he also needed the Holy Spirit's assistance in being willing to obey God rather than the lusts of the flesh. For the caregiver, our situation may or may not be connected directly to any sin. Personally, I had nothing to do with my son's injury or the irresponsibility which caused it. But as caregivers, we are still responsible for our daily actions and we need to b

I was visiting on the phone with a friend yesterday and we were comparing notes from our stress filled lives. Don't think we were having a pity party, we were not. We were actually talking about various strategies we could use to help us cope with the stress that life has presented us. Our conversation was more along the line of finding the best way to deal and keep our attitudes in good shape without being overcome by things like depression. We finally decided that we needed our joy restored - even in the midst of the storms we are facing. We all know how demanding and strenuous the life of a caregiver can be; and sometimes it can simply be overwhelming. No matter what type of event caused us to become caregivers, it was likely traumatic. For me it was a phone call announcing the automobile accident my adult son was involved in. Even though it's been over 5 years, it can seem disrespectful to enjoy life, or even to laugh. But lately I have given myself permission to laugh, p

For the last few days I've been reading and meditating on Psalm 42. The first verse has been made into choruses and songs many times and is very familiar: As the deer pants for the water - so my soul longs after You.  It seems to me that this beautiful verse has been romanticized and adapted to the corporate worship setting- like we are seeking an experience corporately. But that does not make a lot of sense when read along with the rest of the psalm. We have to look at some of the other phrases throughout the passage to get a sense of the desperation of the soul of the writer. Our faith simply cannot allow us to overlook some of the heart-wrenching phrases such as: Day and night I have only tears for food My heart is breaking Why am I discouraged? Now I am deeply discouraged Why have You forsaken me? Why must I wonder in darkness oppressed by my enemies? Most of these are followed with encouraging answers such as: I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him