Skip to main content

The Great Escape

Me talking to Chris after his first ever 5K

 The caregiving journey, like most journies, is made up of lots of ups and downs. I've "bragged" about it before, but I can go from super duper elated to completely down in the dumps and right back up again in under 10 seconds! Lol. No matter what the scenario, caregiving is not easy. In the best settings, emotions are easily fried, and we can become a frazzled mess, even if we never show it outwardly. Did you ever wonder if there was a way to escape?

Escaping for a couple of hours can make a huge positive impact on emotions and help protect the caregiver's mental health. But - who gets to do that? Sometimes, caregivers get respite, but it may be too expensive or just not be provided.  No one will argue with how difficult caregiving is. But we know that in the midst of the hard spots, there are some wonderful memories and emotions too. Precious moments with our loved ones are invaluable. Fortunately, they are not always tainted with pain or worry. Wouldn't it be great to escape for a few minutes, even some days?

In Psalm 124:7, David says, our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; their snare is broken, and we have escaped. (NKJV) In the next verse, he goes on to say that our help is in the name of the Lord. God can help our souls escape, so that we don't feel in bondage or imprisoned to caregiving. It's easy to feel like we are living through the verses before the "great escape" where David says he felt like he was being swallowed alive, the waters would overwhelm them, and the swollen waters and stream would go over their souls. I think I can relate. But I do know that God's peace can provide an escape for our soul no matter what our caregiving plate looks like.

Today, I will let my soul escape into God's heart, where I know He will hold and protect it. I'll make a conscious choice to rely on Him for peace, direction, and help for my soul. I will remind myself that He alone is my help - and today, I'm not looking for another God. He is my soul's refuge, and he can give my soul the reprieve it needs. I'll be thankful that He didn't say His peace was for everyone but the caregiver. And that He never excludes us when He's handing out blessings. So, I will trust Him for this already crazy crazy day! Will you join me?




_____________________________________________________________________

Book cover of the 1 John Study Guide


I have two bookstores of devotionals, Bible study guides, poetry, and more! You can get my downloadable eBooks (some are free!) from Dove's Fire Ministries Bookstore. A few of them are also available in print or for Kindle on Amazon!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Caregiver Burnout is Real

  Do you ever just get too tired? Do you ever want to quit? Do you ever sit down for a whole 30 seconds and think about not getting back up? Ever? Who am I kidding? Sometimes I forget who I'm talking to. Lol. As caregivers, burnout is real. But the problem for most of us, is we don't get a break even in the midst of burnout, right? Let's face it. If we had a bit more help we might  avoid burnout - but once we feel that we are in a season of burnout and stressed out - there's still no help. It's easy to feel stuck. I try to do a few things to avoid burnout and to cope. Someone told me one time that I had learned how to live even in the midst of the situation. I think she was right. I have learned to slow down and enjoy an afternoon cup of tea (or coffee!!!). I try to get outside as much as possible because sunshine and fresh air are essential to a healthy life. Some days that means sitting on the patio so I can see Chris in the recliner through the window. But I'
2 comments
Read more

Part of the Crowd

 I took Chris to our local minor league baseball team's game yesterday. I must say I give the ballpark an A+ on accessibility. The parking guys pointed me to a handicap spot right near the gate. And from there, I just rolled him in and found our accessible seating - which just means a chair beside an empty spot for the wheelchair to fit in! It was great. He could see fine and even though it was a bit loud at times - it wasn't too loud for him. What joy fills my heart when I find things to do that are positive. As we sat and watched the game, we became part of the crowd. We were all watching the game and cheering on the home team. We had one purpose - besides being entertained, and that was to support the local team. We all cheered when our guys made a play. We hooped and hollered when one of them stole a base or hit a home run. It was so amazing to be part of something bigger than us - to be part of the community.   It made me think about the crowds who followed Jesus and the w
Post a Comment
Read more

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
Post a Comment
Read more