Energizer Bunnies

There's no doubt that caregiver burnout is real. But what are we supposed to do about it? I've read many posts about how to prevent it and how detrimental it can be. One of the best ways to avoid it is to take a break. To which I reply, yeah, right. Not only are many of us unable to take a break, but we are also on go 24/7. We don't get paid days off, no PTO, or paid leave. Vacation isn't even in our vocabularies. Right?

We may get tired, worn out, worn down, fatigued, exhausted, and burned out - but we just keep going. Like the energizer bunny - we keep going and going and going, even to our own detriment sometimes. Most of the time, it's because we really don't have any other choice. Other times, we simply become comfortable with our discomfort. One morning, I woke up and wondered just how long it had been since I'd had a shower. That's when it's time to worry. Lol.

All these thoughts, and many more, were running through my head. I was sorting out my work responsibilities and caregiving tasks for the day. I really wanted to justify watching my football games this afternoon. (smile) I thought, man, my thoughts are running crazy this morning as I sipped my coffee. Then I thought, there's a scripture for that!

Sure enough, I looked it up and found it in Psalm 94:19. I remember the old KJV saying, in the multitude of my thoughts but newer translations use anxieties (NKJV) and doubts (NLT). So, I looked it up in the handy dandy Strong's Concordance. It literally means thoughts. A lot of thoughts don't mean we are doubting, anxious, or worrying about things. We're just thinking them through! But in the middle of those thoughts - God brings comfort, hope, and peace. He waits for our energizer bunny mind to stop or slow down for a minute, then He extends His grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

He's not afraid of my multitude of thoughts - whether they are founded in fear, doubt, or just having too much on my plate. Remember, Jesus walked right out into the storm to His disciples. He didn't wait for the storm to pass. We don't "need" peace after the storm; we need His peace, grace, mercy, hope, and comfort to make it through the storms.

Today, I'll remind myself that God is not too scared of my thoughts to hang out with me. I'll think about how He stays... and stays, and stays with me - no matter what. I'll be thankful that my crazy thoughts and cave-like life isn't too much for Him to handle. In fact, He reaches in - when I reach my end, and He brings me out of the fog. I'll turn my thoughts today away from the craziness of caregiving and to His grace and peace. Will you join me?

_________________________________________________________

31 Days in Psalm 31 devotional book cover

Check out my bookstores. I have eBook devotionals, Bible study guides, poetry, and more in my Dove's Fire Ministries bookstore. My Amazon bookshelf has a couple of those in print or on Kindle.

Comments

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

Daily Devotions for Caregivers

Search This Blog