Daily Devotions for Caregivers

  After yesterday's post, I started thinking about how God chases us down. He longs for us to be with Him so much and He never gives up. I thought of the scripture in Jeremiah 29:13-14 that says, and you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will let Myself be found by you. (NASB) That kind of spoils the game doesn't it? lol I'm sure you played hide-and-seek as a kid. I have even played into adulthood. There are so many versions of the game, but the object always remains the same. That is to not  be found by the seeker(s). But God says He will let  us find Him when we seek for Him. I kind of chuckled to myself picturing that. But then, my mind went to another game we played as kids, chase. I wondered if God played chase too - but since He is everywhere - we don't have to run anywhere to catch Him. As soon as we want  to be with Him, He's like I'm right here for you.  Well, that's no fun!  Of course, I am speaking in jest. Ho...

  My thoughts are all over the place this morning. That's not really anything new for me. Lol. I know you know the juggling drill. My mind is running through all the tasks I need to get done today - some of them are brought over from yesterday as I didn't get done with them then. I'm looking ahead to next month and trying to sort out finances, supplies, aids, and the list goes on. I am 99.9% sure you have a running list that looks almost like mine!  So, how does God keep tabs on all that? Psalm 139 reminds us that He knows our thoughts before we think them and our words before we speak them. Man...He is busy! Nothing has caught Him by surprise. Not our caregiving journies, the global pandemic, the crazy politics... He already knew all of that. And, He's gone before us into 2021 and beyond. That just blows my mind. Isaiah says it this way Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord or as His counselor has informed Him? Who taught God all this? Right? Then in the next verse o...

 I'm not sure things have ever been this crazy. Of course, I only have a little over 60 years to base my analysis on. (smile!) As if caregiving wasn't enough by itself, we have a pandemic that continues to rage on, political craziness out of hand, and a generation that seems bent on doing evil. I don't know about you, but sometimes I get soul tired.   This morning, I was reading in Lamentations 3 where Jeremiah talks about God's compassions. Funny, it's not compassion  - singular. It's compassions - plural. The prophet says his soul was removed from peace . In our current world situation, that would be easy to do. Our peace can be so disrupted if we watch the news or scroll our Facebook feeds all day, for sure!  Jeremiah goes on to say in verse 18 that his strength and hope had perished. That's how he felt at the time. As caregivers, I think we all have those moments where we feel totally swept away in our responsibilities. On any given day we can feel like ...

 I've been doing live devotions on Facebook for a few months now. My goal was to be a voice of "peace" in the midst of all the turmoil. I placed a link to today's video at the bottom of this devotion in case you'd like to see it. Today, I talked about a verse in Psalm 55. As I was sharing the verse and my thoughts, I felt it was appropriate for us as caregivers.  Verse 18 of Psalm 55 says this, He has redeemed my soul in peace  from the battle that was against me. For there were many against me. As caregivers, there are so many things that pull at and war against our souls and our sanity too. Our plates are more than full with caregiving tasks. We have laundry, food prep, transfers, bathing, dressing, and a wide variety of other things to do to care for our loved one. Long distance caregiving has its own bumps along the way and plenty of surprise phone calls.  So, when I found this verse this morning, I thought of us and how time after time God has provided peace ...

  I keep hanging out in Mark 6. Last week we took a brief look at it, but this morning as I was reading it one more time something else occurred to me. That's what I love about His word - it's alive! It continues to unfold and reveal new things as we continue to read it and let it shape our hearts. So, in the sixth chapter of Mark, the disciples headed across the sea instead of waiting on Jesus.  While they were rowing across, a big storm came up. It says the winds were blowing against them. Now, I've not rowed a lot but I know if you are in a boat trying to go against a headwind, you are not going to make much progress. You are sort of stuck in place. Here's what stuck out to me this morning during my devotions. Jesus came walking out to them - He didn't wait for the storm to stop first. As caregivers, God doesn't wait until life's picture looks pretty again. He doesn't wait until the winds stop blowing our boats around. He doesn't wait until we get...

 I'm sure the title reminded you of the classic hymn. It was a standard at Billy Graham's crusades around the world. Many church settings still use it as part of the altar call. We can come to God just as we are. I love that; maybe because I'm a bit rough on the edges. God doesn't make us clean up first. He doesn't have us fill out a questionnaire to determine if we qualify. There's no checklist we have to complete first. It's plain and simple. We can come to Him at this moment and He accepts us.  I was looking at my son the other day and grieving over losses. His friends all moved on with life - and they should! No judgment from me! But it still makes me sad to think he has no one. Please understand - I get it. He can't hold a conversation. He may not even look you in the eye on some days. He can't hop in the car and go somewhere for a bite to eat. I get it. But I love him just as he is. Do I miss who he was - without a doubt.... every moment of eve...

 As we grow older, falls become a serious threat to our overall safety and wellbeing. Falls can result in injuries, mobility limitations, and a fear of falling that can prevent seniors from enjoying their daily life or engaging in their favorite activities. This risk can also cause a lot of worry to family caregivers. If you’re feeling lost or overwhelmed as a caregiver, you can find solace in the Daily Devotions for Caregivers blog. That said, there are also some actionable steps you can take to prevent your loved one from suffering a fall, so you can both rest easy.   Make Some Home Modifications   Investing in a few modifications can make your loved one’s home more accessible and help them stay safe.         ●       Help your senior loved one declutter their home so they can enjoy a safer, organized space. ●        Installing grab bars in the bathroom can help your loved one feel safe and confi...

Sometimes it feels like the world has gone stark-raving crazy. Just what we caregivers need. (smile) No matter what news source you listen to (I suggest turning them ALL off) it's sheer craziness all around. Isn't our plate already full enough? Earlier this year we had a Pandemic and the need to take extra precautions for our loved ones piled on our already overflowing plates... now the craziest election America has ever seen. It's too much. I'm on overload. But wait.... I figured out that I do not have to embrace the chaos running rampant in the world right this minute. Instead, I can choose to embrace the calm assurance of knowing He is still walking through it all - with me. I thought I had learned that as a caregiver, right? But I was slowly letting the craziness out there get to me. As a caregiver, I realized that God did not change one iota when my son was in an accident. It took some time for me to come to the realization that His kingdom didn't shake when my...

  Yesterday and today both I've had this verse running through my head. It's something Jesus told His disciples and it's in John 14:27. The New Living Translation says it this way: I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid.  I am embracing this verse today! Just the thought that Jesus said He is giving us peace of heart and mind makes me stop, think, and be grateful. I think the hardest part is remembering to let  it rule in our hearts and minds. The world is a crazy place right now and very little peace can be found anywhere. But Jesus said He was leaving it with us.   What I really like is that He didn't exclude caregivers! He didn't exclude anyone. All we have to do is choose to accept this gift. He knows our proverbial plate is full - fuller than most. Yet He didn't say we couldn't have His peace if we had too much on our plate. We've just ...

  As caregivers, sometimes it can feel like we and our loved ones stick out like a sore thumb. This is especially true if we have the luxury of social events. Even yesterday I was pushing Chris around our apartment complex and could feel the stares of other residents. Two beautiful wide-eyed children asked what was "wrong" with him and so we have a brief and simple conversation. Cute kids. But it added to those feelings of being "different." You know? But I found something this morning as I was doing my morning devotions. I ended up in Psalm 24. I was looking for verse four about having clean hands and a pure heart. But of course, I started at the first. The very first verse grabbed me at the heart. It says this: The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it.  The world and all its people belong to Him. (NLT) I just kind of froze there and read and reread that one verse and let it sink into my heart. The earth is His. Everything in it is His. The people (us - th...