Daily Devotions for Caregivers

  Do you ever just need a break? Haha - I forgot who I was talking to! Of course, you do! The real question is IF you'll get one, right? It's come to my attention that I may have some level of caregiver burnout. Little - like teeny, tiny, little things bother me to the max. I've thought about counseling, not sure if that would help or not. I've thought about giving myself a day off from "work." But I'm not really "off" even if I do that, you know? I have a few other workable ideas like taking a few more excursions and getting Chris out of the house more - because then, I get out too! :-) But I'm pretty sure I'm going to need more than one Saturday a month, although I'm grateful for that one day! All of these thoughts and more were rolling around in my head this morning. I hope it doesn't come down to it - but I may have to actually ask for help. (Lol - imagine that!) I know that God sees right where I am - and He sees you right w...

  This morning I let my mind and heart run around in Psalm 57 for a while. It's been a long-time favorite as I "found" it during one of the darkest storms of my life in 1986. I find myself going back there a lot. David penned this psalm while running for his life from Saul. He was hiding in a cave. Do you ever feel like you live in a cave as a caregiver? I know I did when I first brought Chris home. I found myself all alone almost all the time.  What David did in the cave is an example for us all. He wasn't shy about expressing his emotions or concerns. But he also wasn't shy about declaring his faith and trust in God, even in the tough times. He declared from the back of the cave I will hide beneath the shadow of Your wings. I cry to God! I will sing Your praises. Be exalted O God above the heavens. Even while navigating a difficult time in his life, he put his trust in God. I think we do that a lot. David also declared in verse 3 that God was going to send forth...

 I know we don't like to talk about our fears. Somehow we've let the world convince us that if we express any amount of fear or concern, we are not in faith. Nothing could be further from the truth. David even said What time I am afraid  I will trust in You. ( Psalm 56:3) We have so many stories of Bible heroes who faced difficulties that we sometimes forget they were human. Joseph cried bitterly  when his brothers sold him. He had to have been afraid. We read the rest of his story without a lot of emotions sometimes. It's easy to forget this is the life he was living - we're just reading it. Someone said real courage is moving ahead even though you are afraid. Without fear - situations don't take courage to face. I remember when I first brought my son home. Every time it was time to transfer him (which wasn't a lot back then), I'd get sick to my stomach. I was so scared I'd drop him or hurt him. Those fears were warranted - but they didn't last, tha...

We all want the best for the seniors in our lives, and as they get older, they may need more attention than you are able to provide. In that case, you have a big decision to make, and the only suitable option may be putting them in a nursing home or an assisted living facility. There are a lot of options for different facilities, and you need to ensure you can afford the associated costs. Here are some tips for how to find the best home for your senior. Consider the Services While many people may just rush to the nursing home that has the best reviews, you also need to consider the services that your senior needs and whether or not that home provides them. For instance, some seniors have issues with remembering basic tasks and they may need more memory care than anything else. The case may also be that your home will require more around-the-clock monitoring with an emphasis on incontinence care . The point is that you need to first talk to the senior or their doctor so you can decide ...

  As caregivers, we never know what a day will bring. Everything can change on a dime in an instant. By now we should have adjusting to changes down to a fine art, right? lol So this morning, I was reading through Psalm 37 and verse 39 jumped out to me. Now, there are LOTS of great nuggets in this psalm, as there are in many chapters. It speaks of His faithfulness, His provision, His grace, and lots more. But in verse 39, David says the salvation of the righteous is from the Lod, He is their strength in the time of trouble. I think it's safe to say that as caregivers, we generally live right smack dab in the middle of a time of trouble.  We are challenged with the every-day. Yet, we continue to navigate it day after day by the grace of God and by trusting in Him. We can most likely disagree on a lot of things - but we can agree that it is His strength that carries us through each day. He is our strength in the time of trouble - He is there right on time, just in time, right wh...

This morning, I spent my devotional time preparing for the Facebook live devotions I do each morning. I was reading in Matthew 6:2 -34. Jesus was telling those listening to the Sermon on the Mount that they shouldn't worry about anything. He said to seek the Kingdom first - and all these things will be added.  God knows what we need.  After I finished the live session, I sat down at the computer to write this morning's devotion for caregivers. I know I should probably write a few ahead but I really like writing it each morning. It helps me focus for the day!  I started thinking about how we talk a lot in this devotional about how we are complete in Him . We discuss how we still have all of His promises with nothing lacking. There are no exclusionary statements to limit caregivers' access to all of the blessings of God. I love that. But then, I started thinking that if there are no exclusions for caregivers on the good stuff, then there are no exclusions on the requirement...

 Are you just ever overwhelmed with emotions. I have those "moments" where I am just suddenly sad. I hope it's just me - but I have a good idea that you understand what I am talking about. I'm pretty sure it's all part of the living grief  that comes with the loss of a person whose body and spirit are still here. Caregivers often have a lot of grief and sadness to work through. Most of the time, I'm good, especially if Chris is making progress, feeling well, and interacting some. But there are times when I am incredibly sad and miss who he was. It can be difficult in those moments to find solid footing again. Of course, there are many chores and lots of work to keep my mind and body busy throughout the day - but if I'm not careful the sadness can sweep me away. I find myself struggling to find some small piece of peace. What's a caregiver to do in those times? A "moment" can come on us unannounced, unprovoked, and certainly unwelcomed. Then, ...

  This morning an old song came to mind. I was working in the kitchen humming I'm on the battlefield for my Lord.  I love those good ole songs, don't you? Maybe it's because caregiving can become a battlefield for emotions and our own mental health. Stuff tends to tear away at us. There's no doubt we ride an emotional roller coaster, right? The good thing is that we do keep coming out on top. I'd have to say it's so because of His undergirding power!  So, I was working through some of my emotions this morning and found myself reading the first couple of verses of Psalm 144. I mentioned the part about how He teaches my hands to fight  somewhere the other day in one of the devotions I do. But I have to wonder exactly what that means for us. David was talking about a real fight, a tangible battlefield. Our battlefield stays in our minds and emotions most of the time - but that doesn't make the battle any less real. Here's what the first couple of verses of ...

 As I was studying this morning for my Facebook live devotions, I stumbled back into Psalm 121. Man, that's a great psalm. I wrote a song from it and I read it often. It is powerful. But you know how wonderful the Word of God is and that when we revisit even the most familiar passages, we find something new. That's what happened! In Psalm 121:5 it says the Lord is thy keeper.   In the Strong's concordance, it is H8104 and it means to hedge about, guard, keep, save, wait for, preserve... that's most of the terms it could be translated as. But as I was in the Strong's on my phone it was easy to glance across the verses and what caught my eye was that same number used several times.  The same Hebrew term is used for keep, keeper, and preserve. He keeps and preserves our soul. As a matter of fact, this term is used five times in the eight verses that comprise Psalm 121. I think He wanted us to know that He's got us! He really is our life preserver! Not only does He...

  Do you ever feel invisible as a caregiver? Pain is invisible. Grief is invisible. Our tears are usually invisible to others too. I guess about the only time I don't feel as invisible is when I go to the store - then I feel like we stick out like a sore thumb. I push Chris in front and pull a cart behind like a slow-moving train through the store. Can't miss that now, can we? lol Sometimes, people can't and don't want to imagine our pain. Maybe they can't fathom our living grief. Maybe for some, seeing us reminds them of their own pain or grief they don't know how to deal with. Since I am the aide now, I take Chris with me everywhere - even to my doctor's appointments. They "accommodate" him - but they do not speak to him - or ask about him in any way. Does that strike you as strange? Maybe it feels odd since my whole life is wrapped up in taking care of him. Idk. But every once in a while, someone breaks from this silent norm and steps out of all...

  I got up this morning after a long night that included very little sleep for me or Chris! Of course, I'm exhausted - but what's new? As caregivers we are usually on the edge of it or swimming in it all the time, right? lol There are tons of sayings about the sun coming up on each new day - but to most of us - each day looks pretty much the same as the day before. Even the unexpected happens every day - we are always ready for it. The fact that everything can change on a dime at any given moment in time is the only "constant" we have sometimes. lol So,, I'm not sure what to make out of these "new days." They tend to look like "just another day" to me. I know the scriptures say His mercies are new every morning , right? (Lamentations 3:23) But it's never "morning" for God - it's always day. More accurately it's always today for Him. So why would we need to know that His mercies renew for us each morning?  Sometimes, I find...

  In my Facebook Live devotions this morning, I referred to Ephesians 1:23. In the New Living Translation, it says ...Christ who fills everything everywhere with His presence. I talked about His presence being literally everywhere. We cannot get away from Him even if we wanted to. In Psalm 139, the psalmist said even if I make my bed in hell - You are there. Death doesn't separate us from Him - and nothing in life can remove us or partition us off from His presence. He fills everything - everywhere. That may not seem too significant to many people, but if you've been a caregiver, you know that there are a few dark, lonely places along the way. The good news is  - He's there too! I sing Psalm 61 a lot - from the ends of the earth, will I cry unto thee - We can easily feel like we dwell at the ends of the earth,   a place far from normal ...places others are afraid to go even in thought. But God dwells there - He fills that place with His presence too. Where is your "...

 I'm a bit OCD about some things. (Don't laugh - it's not like you didn't know!) When I make a new post or publish a new video or website, I go back several times to see if anyone is looking. I've been watching the stats for this blog (because that's what I do!) for some time. It seems the blog gets about 200 or so hits every single day. However, on the day of a blog's posting, I usually get between 30 and 40. That's not much in the IoT (Internet of Things). Looking back at earlier posts reveals around 150 views since they were posted. When I scroll down a little further, posts have more like between 200 and 300 views. Scroll back a year and posts have around 1500 views. I like that! My question was why people are not reading the ones I post each day and how they are getting to all those "older posts." At first, I thought maybe I should do a bit more research and try to figure out how to boost daily site visitors. Then, I thought - why? I trust...

  It's funny how when you start studying something it keeps showing up in the oddest places. I've talked a lot about Hagar because it seemed like something about her or her story just kept showing up. This week it's been Rahab. You know - Rahab the harlot. Every time you see her name mentioned they have to tell you she was a hooker too. lol. I talked about her in my live FaceBook devotions a morning or two ago because I'd heard Louie Giglio talking about her, so it sparked a little study for me. Then, this morning as I was preparing for our FaceBook live study of James, there she was in chapter 2 verse 25.  I've taught this whole study guide for James before. Plus, I've read over this portion 2-3 times this week in preparation for this week's class. Yet there again for the first time,  I spotted Rahab. And again - James refers to her as "Rahab the harlot." Yet she is listed in the believer's Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11. The honorable mentions ...

 I am still rolling over last week's blog in my mind. The thought of being "complete" still runs through my mind because I feel like my life as a caregiver is so fractured. No area of our lives is left untouched from our work to family, friends, and church. Every piece of us - is touched in some way by caregiving. Sometimes well-meaning people just can't take this journey with us, you know? It's not easy to watch or live a caregiver's life sometimes. It's easy to feel abnormal when we let the tv and society set those norms for us, isn't it? But trusting God is the norm for believers. This morning I was thinking back about many of our Bible heroes and how they trusted God in their adverse circumstances. I thought of how their lives and our lives are easily shattered. If we've gained anything through this pandemic, perhaps it's the realization that life is fragile indeed. Feeling broken doesn't mean we are broken, even though the feelings ar...

  Last night I started a Zoom Bible study. We are studying the book of James. As I was preparing to teach the lesson, I got stuck in verse 4 of the first chapter. Remember that James is writing to the persecuted church, the Jewish Christians in particular. He was encouraging them in the middle of their tribulation. He encouraged them to find joy and be patient. That doesn't seem fair, does it? lol - As caregivers, we have a lot to do and I did not put those two items on my to-do list for today. My list looks more like survive  and don't throat punch anyone. lol I thought about that for quite some time. The audacity to write to people under extreme stress and tell them to be patient and joyous. (lol) Then, James says to let patience have its perfect work so that you can be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (NKJ) Here's what really stood out to me. James was in essence explaining that God was still working in and for them, even in the midst of horrible persecution. He to...

  Yesterday was so pretty out that I decided to take the afternoon off and head to the shores of Lake Hefner. It was great to get some fresh air and a little Vitamin D therapy! But I also needed to go to the store. Since I don't have an aide - I am the aide - I've just ordered deliveries but not gone to the store. Navigating the apps has become a huge frustration and I rarely find what I need. Or better yet (sarcasm alert) - I make an order because I need this ONE item - and it's the only item the store doesn't have. What a waste. lol So, I decided to go to the store with Chris for the first time in a LONG time! I was so excited that we were going to do something that looked more like "normal!" But by the stares and gawks I observed as we shopped - I realized we are far from normal. It's quite interesting actually. I push Chris in front and pull the grocery cart behind me making my way through the aisles of the store like an awkward train. I've gotten ...

It's an understatement to say that caregivers have a lot on their plates.  That may produce an interesting image, but it doesn't touch the surface. I used to think that long-distance caregivers had it easy. That was until I became one - lol. Of course, that was in addition to taking care of my son full time. Smh. It's just not easy to take care of another whole person, no matter what level of care that requires. Sometimes it seems like it's the little stuff that gets us. You know? I don't know- maybe it's all "big stuff" when you're a caregiver. Sometimes it's easier to trust Him with the big stuff. We have so many examples in scripture. Gideon fought off an innumerable army with just 300 men. Joshua and the Children of Israel marched around Jericho and the walls fell down. Moses led them across the Red Sea on dry ground. But those small things can eat our proverbial lunch. It seems easier to ask God for strength for dealing with a brain injury...