Daily Devotions for Caregivers

It's so easy to focus on the craziness and hardships of caregiving, isn't it? Well, to be fair, it's all right there in our faces, and it's hard to see around them sometimes. Together, I'm sure we could make quite the exhaustive list that would include social isolation, loneliness, exhaustion, sleeplessness, financial struggles, living grief, and more. I'm pretty sure I've touched on all of these at some point in our devotions for caregivers.  We know we're not going to wake up in the morning, and everything is going to just be alright. Of course, that's assuming we slept at all last night. Lol.  Something at some time has rocked our world, and we make the choice of caregiving. Some say it's a sacrificial choice; I say it was the only choice for me. But however we got here - wherever here is - here we are! Now to survive. We all have our strategies and tips for surviving caregiving. Some are conservative, and some are probably a bit bizarre for t...

  There are many blessings along life's highway, am I right? As caregivers, each day can bring many blessings, and as I'm learning to look for things to be thankful for, no matter how small they may seem, blessings abound around me. It's funny how we find "new" things when our perspective changes. But some days are harder than others. And sometimes, blessings bring along a bit of trouble. A new car comes with the obligation of making a payment, maintenance requirements, tags, and insurance. A new house comes with a mortgage and upkeep.  Recently, my son was able to get a SmartVest, which is a percussion vest that vibrates to "beat" against his chest and break up junk in his lungs. It was such a blessing. It seems to truly help keep him clearer from day to day. But, of course, it came at a cost. Not money, but time. He is to wear it twice a day and let it do its thing for 20 minutes each time. I was so happy to get it, then realized the time commitment in...

  Those long nights can take a toll, can't they? For me, I've figured out that when Chris is doing well, I do well. But when he's not - I kinda lose it. I find myself grasping for His grace like a person without air gasps for breath. I can feel so needy, so helpless, and so vulnerable in those times. But I must say that every time God has come through. He has carried me when I thought there was no way to take another step. Why? Because He is faithful. The way things are going does not affect His faithfulness. This morning, I was thinking about the whiney children of Israel. They complained about everything. It's not that they didn't have things to complain about - it's just that they chose to complain and whine about everything. They said that they wished they could have stayed in Egypt - at least they knew what to expect as slaves, right? Bondage brought with it a set of expected experiences. They knew they'd be mistreated. They knew they'd be overworke...

 Over the last few weeks, I've been trying to strategize ways of dealing with stress. It's something we all deal with, especially caregivers. I'm walking and exercising more, which helps the body get rid of stress and it helps improve sleep to some degree. But I've also been working on training my thoughts. I've been working on purposefully finding things to be thankful for. At first, it was a bit difficult because let's face it, caregiving is hard work.  This morning, I was plugging Chris into a nebulizer for a breathing treatment as he had an asthma attack yesterday afternoon after we'd been out for a little bit. As I was doing his treatment and his tube feeding, I didn't even really think about it; this "thought" just rolled up out of me. I thought, thank you, Lord, for carrying us through the long night. My own thankfulness surprised me! Lol. I realized at that moment that it's getting easier and easier to be thankful, even for the litt...

  Do you ever feel like you're running around all day working hard to try and get the proverbial ends to meet? It can definitely feel like it's a circus around here sometimes as I juggle to keep everything moving as it should. But when those "ends' do meet - it seems like they are mismatched. Every day has a list of all the things that need to be done, plus unexpected add-ons. It certainly feels like things keep spinning around and around.  What do you do on those days when everything feels out of control? I have a few personal strategies, like stopping and making lists. I'll sip an extra cup of coffee or tea and make a list so I can more easily focus on those items that have to be done and let other tasks wait until tomorrow if they can. But while I'm sipping, I'm also praying. I ask God for wisdom in all my dealings. I include everything too. I ask the Lord for help handling my clients and managing work tasks. I ask Him to help me arrange my day, so I...

  I've been asked a few times about writing our story. A couple of things have kept me from taking it too seriously, though. Firstly, when I start thinking back to the very beginning in November of 2008, it seems so huge. I wouldn't know how to condense it all into a readable form. Secondly, there isn't a traditional "happy ending." Honestly, no one has lived happily ever after, yet. So, since the story has nowhere to go, I choose not to undertake the task. I might in the future, who knows. This morning, I read the first couple of verses in Psalm 3. Twice, David says, "many are they." He said there were "many" troubling him and that there were "many" who didn't think God would help him navigate his circumstances. Have you ever felt that way? I know the overwhelm of caregiving is often insurmountable, or so it seems. But here we are. Right? There's busy - then there's caregiving busy. Two different things, really. Caregivin...

 I don't know about anyone else, but it sure seems like my to-do list(s) are growing lately. Is this happening to you? I'm tied up until noon, pretty much just getting Chris's food ready for the day. I've been feeding him a blenderized diet for some time now. As beneficial as it is, it is also time-consuming. I did figure out to do all his tube feedings for the day in the morning, then I'm not making meals all day long. I guess it is more efficient. Who knows? Lol. Of course, food prep is mixed in with getting him bathed, dressed, up, and in the living room. I think I eat breakfast in there somewhere. Oh yeah, and do the FaceBook Live devotions and write this devotion. Whew! I'm tired now just thinking about all that. Then comes the afternoon, which is filled with Chris' therapy. We do the standing frame, range of motion, and all sorts of exercises. No wonder I feel like I can't get any "real" work done, right? Lol. I also have a long list of p...

  This morning in my devotions, I found myself in Exodus 23. I was reading about how God was going to push the enemies and adversaries out before the Children of Israel. But He didn't want to do it all at once. He could have, of course. With just one swipe of His hand, they could have all been gone. But He chose to do it a little at a time in order to let the land recover and to keep it from being overrun by beasts. He always has a plan, and it's always better than mine! I did my live devotion on this passage this morning and talked about how progress is progress. It's been my mantra for almost 14 years now. I have learned to rejoice in even the tiniest progress because it's still progress. This is applicable in our spiritual maturity as well. If I let His peace reign in my heart faster this time than I did last time - it's still progress! If I ran to Him first when something broadsided me emotionally - it's still progress, right? Our journey is about learning t...

  One of my favorite things to do is to make the short drive down to Lake Hefner and watch the sunset. as silly as that may sound, being near the lake and two other walking paths influenced my apartment choice. It's literally about a 5-minute drive to the lake. We go down and park on the north side, and I push him down to the lighthouse and back. So far, I've never been disappointed! After watching the sunset at the lake last night, I got up this morning and headed toward the dumpster to take the trash out. There was the most gorgeous sunrise to greet me. Well, you know, that got me thinking. It was the exact same sun we watched "go down" last night, and here it was to greet me in the morning too. The only thing that had changed was my perspective. Sunsets can be brilliant and bright with deep orange hues. Sunrises are often bright and yellow as they light up the daytime sky. Either way, it's beautiful, and it sends us different signals. In the evening, the sunset...

Since yesterday, I've been thinking about some things I shared here and in the FB live devotion I did. My thoughts were on how nothing surprises God. You'll never hear Him say, "I did not see that coming." Instead, God already has a plan for anything and everything we face. As I shared yesterday, He had already planned the way through the wilderness for His people before He went to Egypt to get them. Nothing took Him by surprise. Not the Red Sea, Pharoah's army, the lack of food or water, giants in the land... nothing was a surprise, and His provision was already planned. I've tried to bring those thoughts into my caregiving situation. Maybe God doesn't keep things from happening to us - but He's already got the provision ready to go for the journey. God didn't prevent Joseph from being sold into slavery. He didn't keep Daniel from sitting all night in a lion's den. God didn't shackle Goliath so David wouldn't have to face him. That...

 I know that we will never figure out God's plans; we are not supposed to. But there are so many things that leave me scratching my head in wonder. Since yesterday, I've been thinking about the people in the Bible who faced adversity. I noted, first off, that there is no one anywhere in the Bible who did not face some sort of trouble. But this morning, my mind landed on the Children of Israel and their journey out of bondage into freedom. It was not an easy plight. You know, God could have just picked them up and translated or transported them from Egypt to Cannan. No journey. No losses. No worries. No miracles... He didn't use what we might think would be the easy way. Instead, He took them through  the wilderness to the promised land. Their own obstinance and lack of trust made their journey a lot longer than it could have been. But here's the thing. God had a plan. He didn't bring them out and up to the banks of the Red Sea and then try to figure out what He was ...

 Ever have one of those days where it seems like everything goes wrong? Way, way back in our minds, we know it's not everything,  but it sure can feel like it. It's so easy for overwhelm to take over. Yesterday was one of those days for me. I hopped on my treadmill, and it decided something or other needs to be lubed. I have no idea what that means - it'll probably be easier to just buy another one. Lol. Then the blender I use to make my son's blenderized meals quit on me. My computer's been acting up for a while, and it all just piled in on me last night. It's just frustrating, that's all. As if I had enough time to accomplish all the regular caregiving tasks throughout the day, now I have to figure out how to replace these items and shop for them. (I really don't like shopping.) I know we all have these sorts of days, but it sure feels a little like sparring did and just getting hit over and over again with no way to defend myself. But when I got up th...

 Has anyone ever been able to completely and accurately define faith? Faith and love are abstract nouns that we cannot see or touch. They can be difficult to conclusively define. Faith and trust are closely related, and I'm starting to think you can't have one without the other. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for - the evidence of things not seen. Faith is not the thing we are believing for, is it? We may be believing God to provide a house, a vehicle, an income, etc. But those things are not the substance. Faith is the substance. Faith is the evidence. Hopefully, I just blew all your theology! lol. Having faith in God is the substance of life, I'm thinking. It's not what we own, what we accomplish, or what we even do with our lives. Faith gives life substance. Faith is the evidence - not the "stuff" we get through believing. I'm not sure I can describe it accurately or acceptably. But faith is it. Faith is that force way...

  When I got up this morning, I didn't want to do anything. Not that that could happen in the life of a caregiver, but it was my thought and my attitude anyway. I didn't even want to read my Bible. (Don't tell anyone!) Honestly, I knew if I didn't do my FaceBook live devotions, someone would be calling to see if I was okay. And I didn't want to talk to anyone either. So, I thumbed through a few scriptures, then settled on one. But I wasn't happy with it, so I pulled out my declarations book . I compiled all the "I will" statements out of the Psalms and put them in a book. I opened it, and my eyes fell on Psalm 28:1 To You I will cry, O Lord my Rock!  Maybe you don't have days like that. Maybe you don't need a pick-me-up to get you going. But I did today. And I found that when I started reading the declarations and I turned my ugh into some I will's, my mind began to clear, and I could grab hold of Him once again. In short, my attitude chan...

  I'm just sitting here this morning, thinking about all I need to get done today. I bet you have a long list too. As I look at my must-dos, and what-can-waits and sip a bit of my second cup of coffee, I hear my heart sigh. It's a good sigh - not like those long ones that signal I don't know what to do. It was a simple, gentle, surprisingly content sigh. And as it escaped my body, I heard my heart say, I need You.  There was no prayer request, not really any prayer at all. I didn't need what God could do for  me. I just need Him. It's so easy to get lost in our long list of prayer requests and crazy caregiver thoughts. There were no thoughts of "needs" before the sigh. It actually kind of surprised me too! I just need Him, and it's not even that I need Him to do  anything. Just that my soul was welcoming His presence into my day.  During my morning devotions earlier, I was reading through Psalm 145. David wrote it, but it's a bit different than som...

  My mind is like a locomotive on a circular track. It goes round and round with no clear stopping spots. As caregivers, there are lots of things to juggle. And that's an everyday thing. Every once in a while, surprises happen, too, like someone wrecking our cars, our loved one getting sick, no supplies this month, and so forth, that complicates our already full and complicated mental strain. It's so difficult to find those restful moments where we can stop, right?  My quietest time is early in the morning. I get up and make my first pot of coffee. While it's brewing, I change and turn Chris. Then he usually goes right back to sleep while I grab that first cup, my Bible, and my journal. If I don't get this quiet, reflective, prayerful time in that time slot, it's usually gone for the rest of the day. I am learning to stop during the day and just read a chapter in a book or unplug for a minute or two. That's helpful.  In our busy days, it's easy for our thoug...