The Good, The Bad, The Beautiful

chris standing up at the park in okc

 I am not sure I ever saw the movie, "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly," but I likely did since my daddy loved watching cowboy movies. And I loved watching them with him. The title came to mind this morning as I was sorting through some of my caregiver emotions. I kind of chuckled and thought - boy, if that's not the good, the bad, the ugly then I don't know what is! Each day is made up of a series of events. From morning to evening, we are dealing with so many different things - and we never know when something might change. But things will change. 

We may find new things put on our plates. Friends may appear and disappear. We may get stares if we take our loved ones out. Or we may be totally ignored - until we get stuck in a door others want to go in or out of. That might be a little ugly. Lol. 

Often, we deal with a lot of "ugly" things. A lot of unmentionables. We know not to check if it's pudding. (IYKYK!) It's not. :-) But there are beautiful things in our days too. The love and care we give our loved ones is beautiful. The sacrifice is sort of ugly - but really beautiful at its root because we wouldn't have it any other way. That's what got us into our present circumstances.

The first few verses of Isaiah 61 are speaking to those who mourn in Zion. The prophet assures them that they will receive beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, and praise instead of despair. (NLT) As a caregiver I can say that ashes, mourning, and despair are part of the package. We often mourn our past lives and grieve for our loved one's earlier life. But even in the midst of good, bad, and ugly circumstances - God brings beauty.

We made the choice to sacrifice our lives and our wants to care for a loved one. That is no different than Jesus choosing to lay down His life to spiritually care for us. The cross was an ugly site - but it brought forth the beauty of salvation and rebirth. A cocoon is ugly - but the butterfly that emerges is beautiful. We may feel like our life is lived on the cross we carry. It can feel like we are tightly wrapped up and being squeezed inside a cocoon. But God will bring beauty from our ashes. Our struggle is often in waiting for Him to turn our painful ashes into a beautiful picture of grace and love.

Today, I'll remind myself that my life is not as ugly as it feels. Love is beautiful.I'll think about how the love that holds me at my loved one's side is the same love that held Jesus on the cross. My meditations will be on how God can bring beauty from the ugliest parts of life. I'll purposefully look for His beauty in my day as I trust Him to change the bad and ugly parts of my life into a beautiful picture of grace. Will you join me?

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31 Days in Psalm 31

cover of 31 Days in Psalm 31

David was open and honest about his feelings and he tended to give everything to God, even when he was hiding in the back of a cave. What's it like to spend time in the back of a cave with God? David gives us a glimpse in Psalm 31 and that's where this devotional is taken from. Grab a paper copy or a Kindle copy from Amazon!




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Affirmations for Caregivers

Cover of Affirmations for Caregivers
I wrote Affirmations for CaregiversAffirmations for Caregivers because it was what I needed to hear! This 31-day journal includes 31 scripturally based affirmations. Each day, the affirmation is followed by a short writing prompt and a verse or two to read. Here is an example from Day 16:

Day 16: I Am Embraced
Affirmation: I will find grace to help me in my time of need today. I will bring my cares, concerns, weaknesses, and needs to the throne of grace. I have an open invitation. God will meet me there with the grace I need for today. He is not afraid of my weaknesses, He embraces them and strengthens me by His grace.

                                Write an invitation to God inviting Him into your day. Then, write an invitation
                                from God inviting you to trust His strength and grace.

                            Read Hebrews 4:14-16

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