Daily Devotions for Caregivers

 If you've followed along with this blog for a long, then you know I have quite a few favorite scriptures. I reserve the right to pick new favorites whenever it suits my fancy. Lol. I say this because this morning, I discovered a new favorite scripture during my morning studies. I was actually taking another deep dive into Psalm 23 when a reference sent me off onto a rabbit trail. It turned out to be a great trail to be on! Lol. I found myself in Ezekiel 34. Odd place, right? He's perhaps one of the most misunderstood prophets in the Old Testament. I mean, really, a lot of his visions are foggy at best, and it can seem as if Ezekiel is disconnected from reality. But he demonstrates the heart of the prophet in this passage. That has always been to turn people's hearts back to the God who loves them. In Ezekiel 34:11 in the New Living Translation (1996), it says For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search and find my sheep. He's not going to pawn it off...

 Caregiving days can often seem a bit like the classic movie hit  Groundhog Day. Honestly, I've never watched the whole movie, but I get the idea that the star lived the same day over and over again. I think caregiving can seem that way sometimes. We get up each morning and start doing the same tasks that we finished yesterday. But at the same time, it can go crazy. Doctor visits, home health nurses, and even respite care can interrupt our "schedules." No matter how many interruptions we have to work through, welcomed or not, there are so many caregiving tasks that are must-dos, period. Sometimes, I look back and wonder how I've got as much done as I did, but still, I feel that so much is left undone. It's a vicious cycle, at best.  The good thing is that no matter how hectic our days are or how mundane they seem - God walks them with us. There's no dispute that caregiving is hard work. But while we are washing, rinsing, and repeating our daily tasks, there ar...

  Caregiving is not easy, no matter what the situation we are in. As caregivers, we deal with so many layers of emotions. We also have a wide variety of circumstances and responsibilities that make up our days. Each day is oddly the same and very different at the same time. It can certainly keep us on edge! I'm pretty sure that wasn't the edge Aerosmith was singing about when he sang  Living on the Edge.  Lol. But it sure seems like we can find ourselves there over and over again. (Maybe it's just me?) No matter what the specifics of our unique caregiving circumstances, on the other side, is a testimony. When my son was injured in that car accident over 15 years ago, I couldn't even imagine the future. Those initial 4+ months in the hospital were dark days. But now they have become my testimony of how God's grace carries us through those cave-like experiences life can put us in. In Psalm 77, Asaph is evidently going through a very difficult time. He is crying out in...

 Do you ever just get tired? Lately, I've been the kind of tiredness that goes way beyond the physical tiredness. I'm soul tired, from the inside out and the outside in. I don't feel  like doing anything. Of course, that cannot happen because we are caregivers. We can't just decide to take a day off. Shoot. We can't even just take an hour or a minute off some days. The good thing is that I have built a few strategies for myself that help out a little bit when I am overloaded. Before I head down that dark spiral that my soul is trying to pursue, I can stop it by doing a few things. Sometimes, I just stop and watch a movie. That helps me get outside my own head for a few minutes. It may sound silly, but sometimes, it gives my brain just enough of a break to help. I also try to get up and move. Cleaning and organizing can be helpful for redirecting my energy outward. It also has some lasting benefits for at least a few days. Lol. I can either walk on my treadmill or ri...

 Even though we are all caregivers, our stories are vastly different. Some of us care for elderly loved ones. Others care for children. Some may care for a sibling or a spouse. We can definitely have a degree of compassion and understanding for one another as caregivers, but the scenarios vary greatly between each of our situations.  The ones we care for may be totally mobile and able to perform some daily tasks. Or they may be immobile and need total care. Others may be somewhere in between as far as the level of care goes. Sometimes, we care for someone who is okay physically but not functioning well mentally, such as dementia. Other times, caregivers care for a loved one who is okay mentally but needs help with daily care due to physical limitations. Those we care for can fall anywhere on the spectrum when it comes to the type and care they need. We are all caregivers, so we can relate. One thing we can't do is compare because no two situations are quite the same. We tend t...

 Over the last year or so, my son has made significant improvements. I beefed up his diet, kept him on CBD, which helps reduce stiffness and tone, and added a type of light therapy, and he's been working with an exceptional therapist/healer at the 34 Project. And, of course, it's all bathed and covered in prayer! TBIs are not supposed to be getting this much better at this stage, but he just keeps improving. Thank God. So, over the weekend, a friend asked me how I dealt with the progress. He asked how I was going to feel when my son takes that first real step on his own or starts walking. Then, he asked how I deal with the small steps of progress I'm seeing day to day. His question, in the context of the conversation, seemed to indicate that progress was a stopping point. I told him that I didn't have time to stop. The analogy I used was that of digging a mine. You don't stop when you find a gold nugget - but it inspires you and drives you to keep digging deeper. Is...

 Many caregivers feel like they are living life in a cave. There can be a sort of forced solitude that comes with caregiving. Personally, I was living my best life, working 3 jobs, socializing with a new church family, and preparing to go to Africa when it was all jerked out from under me. I found myself suddenly in the back of a dark cave, totally separated from the social life I was accustomed to. It didn't get any better soon, either. In some ways, I felt like life jerked me up by the collar and pulled me away from being a people person, shoving me into the back of a dank, dark, deep cave to figure things out for myself. Maybe all that is why I love Psalm 31 so much and why I find myself returning to it so often. David wrote this psalm from the back of the cave. God had anointed him as king, so he had the promise of better days ahead, but for the moment, he found himself crouched down and hiding in the back of a cave. He didn't mince any words about how he felt. David used p...

  I'm starting to think that caregiving days are to be organized around disruptions. I'm a planner and an organizer, but I do try to remain flexible inside the "plan." Sometimes, I don't have much notice at all about a doctor or nurse dropping by for a visit. Most of the time, they call ahead, but since I started taking Chris to the 34P two days a week and have a respite aide two other days of the week, it has gotten a bit hectic. It hardly ever fails that I carve out a couple of hours to work on a project; whether it's one of my books or a job for a client, there will be disruptions. Smh. I suppose it's just part of the caregiving package. Here's the good thing, though, disruptions don't disrupt God or His plan. Now, that's some good news because when it comes to Him working on my behalf, I can be His greatest disruption, or at least that is how it feels sometimes. Good thing He isn't thrown off by them. In my FaceBook Live devotion this m...

 Throughout the scriptures, we see that God seeks out people. He started this practice in the very beginning with Adam when He would come and walk in the cool of the day with him. We also have many other stories in the Bible, like how He came to Abraham to establish a covenant. He met Hagar two times when she was in distress. God found Moses alone on the back side of the wilderness. And an angel of God suddenly appeared to Gideon. We also have the New Testament story of the woman at the well. Jesus "needed" to go through Samaria, and the only reason we see recorded was to meet with her. These are just a few of the stories that stand out in my mind.  Most of these people weren't specifically seeking God. He was seeking them. Gideon and Moses both seemed a bit surprised and rehearsed all their weaknesses before the Lord. That didn't stop God, not even for a second. Maybe He wasn't looking for someone with a lot of confidence; it doesn't seem that way, anyway. So...

 I started reading the Bible through in January, and I've made it to near the end of Leviticus. It's not generally the most exciting book, but there are lots of chunks of meat to chew on scattered throughout. One thing that I've been thinking about as I read through Leviticus is the effort God put into it. The book basically records the discourse between God and Moses. God is taking the time to explain all the Tabernacle proceedings, including the various types of offerings, priestly responsibilities, and so much more. It kind of blows my mind that He shares all these little details. There are also a few recurring topics I have picked up on. For example, God reminds the Children of Israel that He is holy, that He is the Lord, and He is the One who makes them holy. God also reminds them that it was His power (His right arm of strength) that brought them out of bondage in Egypt. But He also keeps reminding them that He is with them. That's what I needed to hear today. You...

 My reading this morning took me to Micah. He may be considered a "minor" prophet, but he sure says some big things. Especially in the last two chapters, there are many meditation-worthy thoughts. In chapter 7, verse 18, for example, it says that God delights in showing mercy. What an odd thing to say in the middle of the seemingly harsh spiritual environment of the Old Testament. God delights in mercy?  If we think about it, David mentioned that God's goodness and mercy would chase us down all our lives. (Psalm 23:6) It's probably good to stop every now and then to let  them catch us! Now Micah reminds us that God delights  in being merciful. This statement is on the tail end of some really good stuff, worth diving into for a few minutes. In Micah 6, God is using the prophet to remind His people of all He did for them. I love when I get a glimpse of God's point of view. In these last two chapters, He is referring back to the great deliverance He brought about for...