Skip to main content

Actionable Items

Nothing new around here. I woke up this morning with my mind going 900 miles an hour. It seems there's been so much going on. But of course, that's nothing new for the caregiver, right?

Today I have a new aide - just for Fridays. His other one comes the other three days of the week on schedule all the time - but for some reason can't seem to show up on Fridays consistently. It's one of  the frustrations we have to endure from time to time. Why can't people just do their jobs? It would be so beneficial. But with a new aide that as to be "certified" to do my son's range of motion which means another nurse visit; it complicates my morning schedule. Again.

But this is the new normal.

So this morning I got up and reached for my Bible and thumbed through a few pages looking for a morsel that would carry me through the day. I ended up back at a familiar psalm. It's one I've clung to for years and don't plan on moving away from anytime soon.

Psalm 46 starts and ends with powerful statements. Even though I've read it countless times it still fills my heart. The first verse God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble. I still run to Him as my refuge - and I still rely on Him for my strength. And I've always loved the phrase very present. That's a powerful combination I think. I can hide in Him - He gives me strength and He is always present with me.

Now here's the thing - these are what I'm going to call actionable items. At work we do a lot of analysis on websites and we look for areas we can take action on. What can we do? So as I am looking at this favorite verse of mine, I'm seeing my part too. God is always present - that's His part. He is there. He is here. He is period. My part is to go to that refuge and rest. Trying to rest can actually be a lot of work, especially for caregivers!

But further on down in verse 10 we'll find a couple more actionable items. Verse 10 says to be still. That in itself can be a tall order for high strung, Type A individuals such as myself. But it also says know.  We can take action on both of these - we can stop striving, or be still and just know that He is God. No matter what life throws at us or what a day brings He is still God. And in the craziness of the day I have before me - I'm going to do just that.

Today I'm going to work at being still. I'll meditate on the truth that He is God and nothing can dethrone Him. Nothing interrupts His kingship. This means I can always run to Him. My meditations for today will be on his presence in my hectic crazy life. And I'll turn my thoughts to hiding in Him as my refuge. I'll work (take action) on my soul - by quieting it before a holy God. And I will rest in Him and trust Him for one more day.Will you join me?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ups and Downs

  Maybe it's just "that time of year" for me, but I've struggled a lot the last few weeks. I still affectionately  call it the caregiver's fog. Lol. Okay, maybe it's not-so-affectionately. I know I can share my true feelings with you guys because you get it. You understand the day-to-day grind of caregiving. The military has a saying about there being no easy day. I think we live in that reality. It's just not easy caring for another whole person, is it? Caregiving presents many difficulties. We can find ourselves alone, so very alone on this journey. It doesn't just go away. We don't just work through it. It seems to go on and on. There are lots of ups and downs - and that can be about every 90 seconds some days. Right? (smile!) As I've been working through this emotional maze the last few days, I turned my thoughts to Daniel. Let's take a realistic look at his circumstances because as we read his story in the Bible, we tend to glamorize i

Seasons Are Temporary

  This morning, I found myself reading in Isaiah 28. I ended up there because I was looking for something in particular, and even though I didn't find what I was looking for, I found what I needed. God's so cool like that, isn't He? My eyes first fell on verse 29, which says in the NKJ: This also comes from the Lord of hosts, Who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance. I rolled that over in my mind and heart a few times and spent a few minutes thinking about how I'd seen His counsel in action in my own life. We've all had those times when we weren't sure what to do or where to go, and suddenly, an idea drops into our thoughts. There are many ways He provides direction for us. He may direct our steps through a passage of scripture, a trusted spiritual leader such as a pastor, a YouTube teacher, and maybe even a lowly blog writer. Lol. No matter how He chooses to deliver His counsel, it comes - but we must listen. After I had rolled these thoughts and t

The Practical Side of Caregiving

 This week, I've been reading the book of Acts. I am enjoying the journey of the early church. Can you imagine what it would be like if your church saw 5000 people saved in a day? Mass chaos would ensue as leadership tried to figure out how to serve that many people! It'd be great and difficult at the same time - kind of like caregiving. Lol. But yesterday, I got stuck in Acts 9 thinking about a practical caregiving issue. In verse 32, we read that Peter was traveling around and encouraging all the new believers. He came to the town of Lydda. Verse 33 says in the NLT, There he (Peter) met a man named Aeneas, who had been paralyzed and bedridden for eight years. Now, the next verses talk about how Peter proclaimed healing, and the man just got up! That's so amazing. But my brain got stuck on some of the practical parts. Aeneas was paralyzed and bedridden. My mind compared the situation to my son, of course, even though he's not "paralyzed." I started wondering