I’m a bit behind (no surprise there!) but I am still trying to read the Bible through this year. I read most every morning as my quiet time with God is an essential part of my day. I have my coffee, my Bible, and a notebook or journal handy. It’s the only time of the day when the house is quiet. In this morning’s reading, the Children of Israel had just exited Egypt. They ran smack dab into the Red Sea and crossed it to find bitter water. Then they had no food. And then they had no water.
As all of these barriers came up and God provided a way, I thought how similar it is to caregiving. It seems like you work through one thing only to be met with another. And of course, this goes on day after day. Life can be like navigating a huge obstacle course. Lol.
If we think about it though, this was a series of big things Moses and the Children of Israel had to deal with. They were back to back obstacles. Plus, as their leader, Moses had to listen to all their whining and complaining. Why didn’t you just leave us in Egypt to die? At least we had water there. At least we had food there. Every time an obstacle presented itself – they looked back at what they had lost. Boy, did this make progress difficult. Maybe it wasn’t so much the actual looking back – as their attitude and perspective.
I’ve been a caregiver for over 11 years now. Many of you I know personally have been on this journey for much longer than I have! Looking back with the right eyes and an open heart is a great way to move forward. Think about it. We can look back and realize we have already come through every single thing up until today. It’s in the past – good decisions and bad, hard choices and easy. No matter what we have faced – we have made it to today.
Looking back isn’t always bad in itself – it’s how we decipher it with our hearts. When we look back and say, Look at all He has brought us through! It makes it easier to see the everyday victors that we are! Yeah, that’s right – we are everyday warriors! And as of this reading – we are still standing. We may be shaky. We may be scared. We may be fearful, frustrated, or fuming with anger. But so far we are still making it.
It’s about our choice and perspective is one of our choices. How we choose to see things affects how we move forward. When Jethro came out to meet Moses, it says Moses recounted all the hardships that they had faced up to then. But it also says he shared and how the Lord delivered them. What an amazing story – yes there were bumps along the way, huge obstacles to overcome, and plenty of struggles, trials, and difficulties. But the Lord delivered them. And He is still delivering and rescuing us today!
Our journey can be an emotional one. Caregiving is not easy. But we have conquered every single day so far and God will continue to deliver us as we continue to rely on Him. We rely on Him for our strength. We rely on Him to be our refuge, our rock, our safe haven. He is our shield, our comfort and the protector of our soul. So far – so good. We are still pursuing Him – still leaning on Him – still trusting Him. We are warriors battling the everyday. We are winning.
Today, I will think about how He has managed to bring me so far on this caregiving journey. Instead of bemoaning all those tough days (and who knows – today may be one too!), I’ll thank Him for preserving me in faith. Instead of complaining about the hardships I’ve endured – I’ll be thankful for what is behind me. I’ll pursue Him today with a grateful heart, thankful that He is still pursing me even in the midst of the mess. As a matter of fact, that will be my meditation today – He is still in pursuit of His people, caregivers or not. He still longs for relationship with me – with us. That’s cool. I’ll allow my thoughts to camp right there for today as I rest in Him and enjoy the pursuit! Will you join me?
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