Daily Devotions for Caregivers

I love the Road to Emmaus story in the last chapter of Luke's gospel. But this morning, as I was reading it with fresh eyes, a couple of different things stood out to me. It's almost two stories in one since Jesus reveals Himself to the two walking on the road, then He does the same to the disciples later in the chapter. As He approached the two men walking toward Emmaus, He recognized that they were sad. Jesus asked them what they were concerned about. We know that God doesn't need to ask us questions just to obtain information. Lol. They began to share their deep grief with Jesus as the three continued to walk toward Emmaus. As they shared their viewpoints about how the Messiah had come, and they had been disappointed when He was killed, but now they were hearing that He had been raised from the dead. Jesus met them where they were  in their belief system and in their doubts, and he began to explain all the OT prophecies pertaining to Him. Wouldn't that be an amazing

 For some reason, this week has been rougher emotionally. It seems I was just cruising along, and BAM! I got hit with all sorts of stuff from many different sides. I gifted the rest of my son's percussion equipment to a young, local drummer who is just starting out. I felt like I was giving a piece of my son away. But I convinced myself it was better for the bag of goodies to be used than to just sit in the closet for another 15 years. Then, yesterday, I came across a video on FaceBook. When Chris had the wreck, he was in a relationship with a wonderful young lady. While I have no ill feelings toward her for moving ahead with her life, it stung as I watched her wedding video. I had a break-down moment and an ugly cry. I am happy that she is happy, but my emotions got the better of me as my son has been forgotten. For the caregiver, it can feel like the world has moved on and we've been forgotten. The alone-ness is deep, long, and dark sometimes. Friends seem to have moved far a

 Each day presents many paths, and we get to choose which one(s) to walk. Some things are given, right? We will care for our loved ones meeting their needs often before (or instead of) our own. We'll cook, clean, do laundry, work, and of course, have coffee. Those are givens. The one big choice to be a caregiver supersedes and commands all these smaller choices. We don't even have to think about them for the most part. They are just part of our days. We got on that path already, and we just ride life out from there. We don't get up every morning and wonder if we'll be providing care for our loved ones. We just do it. But we can choose some paths. And the freedom of being able to choose can help us oftentimes keep our attitudes in check. Here's what got me thinking along these lines. This morning, I was reading Psalm 142. In verse three, David, who just happened to be writing it from a cave according to the subheading, says this. When my spirit was overwhelmed within

Yesterday morning, I was puttering around doing my caregiver tasks. For some reason, the last couple of weeks have been particularly hard for me emotionally. I fight off thoughts about what my son might have done if the wreck hadn't happened. Would he be playing drums for a famous band? Who would he have married? Would he have married at all? What would his children be like? What would he look like and act like as a dad? I try to brush them aside, but the barrage continues.  As usual, I start thinking of scriptures to encourage myself, and I heard myself think, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I thought about it for a little bit. Then, I decided that maybe I don't want to do all things. Maybe doing all things isn't what it was cracked up to be. Does it mean I have  to do "all things?" While I am thankful that I am able to be my son's caregiver, sometimes I sure do wish life had taken a few different turns. I'm sure Paul did, too, as h

 This morning during my personal Bible study time, I was reading back through Jonah. I find his story amazing. I am currently preparing some teachings for my YouTube channel , and Jonah's story fits right in. Make sure to subscribe! As I was reading this morning, I realized that God calmed the storm after the crew tossed Jonah overboard. That got me to thinking. I went back and read the two storms that Jesus calmed. (Matthew 14 and Mark 4) It seemed to me that there is a pattern of calming storms in the Bible. Jonah's was one that was his own fault. The disciples, however, were sent into their storms. Both times, Jesus had instructed them to go to the other side. Do you think Jesus didn't know there was going to be a storm? Since He as all God-all man, He had to know! But He also knew He was going to meet them in the middle of the storms and speak peace. As caregivers, it can often feel like we live in a storm. If there are multiple storms, it can seem like there isn't

 For caregivers, having a moment here or there to just sit and breathe can be few and far between. We are pretty much on-call 24/7, even if we care for our loved ones long distance. There isn't a time we can just slip away and not be available because we never know when a call may come. Sometimes, it's a small decision. Other times, it can be critical. So, it's important to be on duty and vigilant all the time. For those who provide around-the-clock up-close-and-personal care for loved ones, it's difficult to find a moment to ourselves, even when we live in a caregiver's cave! But sometimes, the universe aligns just right, and a caregiver gets to sit with a cup of coffee or sip on their tea and take a breath. Even though it's rare, when it does happen, I find myself allowing a long, deep sigh to escape.  It's involuntary, meaning I didn't plan for it. It just happens. The deep sigh is an emotional response that is healthy, actually. It's part of the

 I am pretty sure that no one will argue about the difficulties of the caregiving journey. Caregiving is challenging no matter what. The sea is sometimes calmer than other times, but it's always rolling and creating waves big or small. One thing I've discovered is that it doesn't really matter how challenging or smooth the day is - I'm going to trust God, no matter what. I don't trust Him less on the days that are easier, I still have to trust Him and let His peace reign in my heart whether it's good things or bad things that try to distract me. In 2 Thessalonians, Paul's closing starts with this: May the Lord of peace himself always give you His peace no matter what happens. I found myself reading and re-reading this verse over and over this morning. His peace is good in the bad times - and it's good in the good times. Sometimes, it's the good times that become more of a distraction because I forget my intense need for His peace when things look lik

 This morning, I was reading Acts 16 about Paul and Silas. They had been "seriously" beaten with rods, cast into the inner dungeon, and their feet were fastened securely in stocks. These two men had to be in intense pain with their backs open and bleeding. And I'm pretty sure it was difficult to get comfortable in a concrete block with their feet chained to the floor. I tried to imagine what that would feel like, especially taking into consideration the fact that they didn't do anything wrong - nothing that deserved punishment of any sort, let alone something this extreme.  But this is where they found themselves. The account goes on to say that at about midnight (which would be very dark - as we can tell when later the jailor asked for a light to go into the dungeon area), they were singing to God. They were not moaning, crying, wailing, or whining. They were singing - not to the prisoners. They weren't leading everyone in a chorus of Amazing Grace. These two men

 Israel was on the brink of taking the land God had promised them. They were most likely weary from traveling across the wilderness all those years. They sent in the spies to take a look around. The majority of the spies saw how hard it was going to be to conquer and take the land. But two spies, Joshua and Caleb, saw the remarkable fruit and the good things about the land.  I spent some time thinking about my own perspectives after reading this account in Nehemiah 9 this morning. Those who gave what the Bible calls a "bad report" focused on all the challenges, difficulties, and how hard the conquest was going to be. Joshua and Caleb focused on the end result and how wonderful it would be once God conquered their enemies, and they took the land. On any given day, I can be anywhere in that process. Some days, I'm quick to acknowledge that God is with us, and we can take this day. Other days, I look at all the caregiving chores and responsibilities and wonder if I'll ma

 Do you ever feel so scattered that me, myself, and I feel like three distinct people? (Who am I talking to here!) For caregivers, distractions are free - forget a dime a dozen - and they come at us all day long from so many different directions that sometimes it's unreal. It can seem like the simplest things tear us apart emotionally sometimes. We have to give ourselves a break and lots of grace because we run on overload and overwhelm.  It often feels like I'm being ripped apart from the inside out. "I" feels one thing. Maybe it's anger, frustration, or overwhelm. "Me" feels something totally different. Maybe there are a few joys in Chris' progress sprinkled with a few laughs or coffee with a friend. And in the meantime, I'm trying to get "myself" together so I can get all of me on one page. It's the only way to get things done, right? It never fails, though. Part of me gets all focused on a task, whether that is work or caregivin

Sometimes as a caregiver, we don't feel comfortable sharing the emotional part of our journey with others. Perhaps sometimes, it's for their emotional safety. (Lol) Other times, we fear they won't quite "get" us. And for most of us, it may simply be because we don't want to dump on some unsuspecting soul. That can get us in an emotional bind because we hold everything inside with no release. It can even seem like the religious world doesn't allow our emotions. They are condemned and labeled as a "lack of faith," or we are told we are not trusting God. I beg to differ on this point. God made us to have emotions and feelings. Why wouldn't He allow them? Our struggle shouldn't be in not letting them show but in learning to channel them and manage them in healthy, godly ways. I'm pretty sure throat-punching someone is off the table when it comes to handling emotions. Lol. I'm not saying I ever did- but... These types of thoughts were

Most mornings, right after I get my son up, I put on some sort of teaching. I try to find a YouTube video that is about an hour or shorter for him to watch. Well, I figure his spirit man needs to be fed - it didn't get damaged in the wreck. Our soul is always protected and hidden in God. So, I put on some teachers I know he liked or that were familiar to him. Our favorites are Duane Sherriff, Loui Giglio, Francis Chan, and Steven Futrick. I kind of randomly rotate through these teachers, so he gets some different "flavors." Yesterday, I heard whoever we were listening to say that Job prayed before his troubles, during trouble, and after his troubles were over. So, that sparked me to read in Job during my personal devotions this morning.  In Chapter 6, Job is in the thick of the battle. His friends have joined him, and in their grief, they have sat with him for 7 days without being able to say a word. They probably should have remained silent because their words began to c

 Each of our caregiving journeys is different. Of course, some things will be similar, but we are each dealing with very unique situations and circumstances. We share things like emotional roller coasters, grief, and a disrupted, very not-normal lifestyle. But our parallel lives have many differences. Even the things we share, like grief, are different. Some grief is because we see our parents or elderly loved ones slowly fading away. Some grief is because we wonder what our child could have accomplished. Others grieve over the loss of a child, even though we are still caring for their bodies and the person we knew is gone. There's a whole gamut of possibilities for grief. Any way you want to slice it - it's still grief that can't just be erased. There are so many challenges - mostly every day for caregivers. Those challenges can be in one or more of many different arenas, including finances, supplies, relationships, or our own physical health. But here's the good thing