Alongside All the Way Through

 This morning, I woke up with Psalm 23 on my mind. Last week, I was very sick and still had to take care of my son! Who knows about that? Lol. Who takes care of the caregiver when they are down? No one. I really think the few days I've been sick are the worst. However, now my son has what I had, and I would trade with him in an instant. I don't know which is worse, actually. At least I know that Tylenol covers a multitude of sins and symptoms. Lol. 

This was all running through my mind early this morning as I was praying for him to be better and not take on anything secondary, which is the primary concern for those who are vulnerable. I continued to turn my thoughts into prayers when verse 4 of the 23rd psalm kept running through my head. Even though I walk through the valley of death (or the darkest valleys), I will not be afraid, for You are with me. 

I began to attempt to comfort myself with these words, for You are with me. I'm so glad that God doesn't measure our valleys or struggles and exclude the ones He may consider trivial. He just keeps on walking through each and every one with us. There are no exclusionary statements. No valley is too deep, too wide, too narrow, too difficult, too anything for God. He just keeps walking alongside us all the way through it. I love that about God. 

He could just wait at the other end and be cheering us on throughout our journey through the valleys. But He chooses, instead, to walk through them right beside us. The NLT says that He is close beside us. He's not just there, somewhere in the dark or distance. He is close. He is near, never too far away to hear all the emotions behind every sigh. Close enough to sense all the feelings behind every single tear that escapes. And He stays that close - all the way through the valley, the fire, the floods, the caregiving life.

Today, I will reel in my emotions and worries and trust that He is a right here, right now God. I'll remind myself that He is in my now. He's not afraid of the darkest, longest valley. He doesn't ignore the deepest, swiftest floods. And He doesn't flinch in the face of the hottest, tallest flames of fire. He remains all the way through with us. So, today, I will trust that He is right here with me. I encourage my soul by reminding my mind that today is NOT the day He will leave, so I can trust Him for one more day. Will you join me?

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Are you enjoying the Caregiver Affirmations and Videos?

I have created a video series on my  YouTube channel. It goes over the affirmation each morning. The videos are only a couple of minutes long, and the first one was downloaded this morning! You can get the Affirmations for Caregivers book in several places. You can download it and have the eBook right now from my bookstore. It's also now available on Kindle or in print from Amazon. 

There is a video for each affirmation. Here is today's video.