Daily Devotions for Caregivers

 One of the things on my list of ways to decompress is to enjoy a cup of tea. But seriously, who has time for all that? By the time the water heats up, I'm off doing something else. Usually, I totally forget about my steeping tea until it's no longer "tea." lol. I did switch to a thermos mug which helped. Not too long ago, I thought I was busy. In fact, I thought it couldn't get busier. But, boy was I wrong. On the good side, my son is getting three therapy sessions a week now. And on a better note - he's responding well and making some great improvements, improvements that are not "supposed to" be made over 15 years from the initial injury. For this I am so grateful! I am thinking that "busy" is not a long enough word to describe my situation - perhaps you can relate.  I think we can all agree that caregiving is demanding. And it demands more than just physical stamina - although that is a huge factor. Caregiving makes a draw on every part...

 Today's title can be read a couple of different ways. I think maybe where a person is emotionally and mentally might influence how it's read. If a person is excited, it might be an exclamation. Wait, there's more?!!! But that's not how I was feeling it. Lol. Living in overwhelm mode has me reading it in a more mundane tone. More like, great, there's more. Does it ever feel like things just keep piling up and getting higher? Even good things can become overwhelming for caregivers. Adding one thing to our day becomes the proverbial camel-back-breaking straw, right? I don't know about you, but I often find myself juggling and eliminating things just to get through the simplest, ordinary day. (No caregiving day is simple or ordinary, btw!) But here's the thing I was meditating on this morning. Psalm 94:19 says, IN the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your  comforts delight my soul. I love that God is not afraid of our anxieties. He never demands that we ...

 Do you ever feel like you are running back and forth, and round and round trying to survive life and the Enemy of your soul keeps taking pot shots at you? It's like you're always lined up in the cross hairs and your head or your heart is the bullseye.  I remember when I first started the caregiving journey, I prayed I would survive. Then I prayed that I wouldn't become hardened through life's difficulties. I also asked God to help me emerge (even though I don't know what that looked like) having done something profitable for the Kingdom of God. I thought of all the stories I'd heard of people who were persecuted or imprisoned. When they came out they had accomplished a couple of things.  Firstly, they knew God in a deeper, more intimate way. And secondly, they had written books. Think of Paul who wrote about 2/3 of the New Testament. He wrote most of those letters sitting in a prison cell. I also think of Joseph who was in the prison all those years for somethi...

As caregivers, we have a unique set of enemies. Remember Ephesians 6:12 tells us that our battle isn't against flesh and blood. We are not fighting people, even though sometimes getting others to listen to us and take us seriously is quite a fight! That's okay - our real fight is against fear, doubt, and fatigue. Maybe you got a few more to add to that list.  Of course, we are also told in 2 Corinthians 10:3 that we don't wage war with human plans and methods - we don't have natural weapons. But we do have supernatural  ones! God has equipped us for the fight and He goes with us through every battle.  Today, I used Psalm 23 for my Facebook Live devotions. One of my points was that God prepares a table for us in the presence of my enemies. (v.5) He creates this huge spread of peace, comfort, direction, truth, and love while our enemies (fear, doubt, confusion, etc.) just look on. They are NOT  invited to the table - we get to eat in peace!  And of course, this fe...

 This morning, I was reading in Exodus 14 as I prepared for my Facebook Live devotional "Peace Out." I talked about how the cloud moved around from in front of the Children of Israel to behind them. God's glory was light to the Israelites and total darkness to the Egyptians who were chasing them. God's delivering power and protection are just amazing in this story.  But as I went back to read it again, something else stood out. The Bible is so cool like that! :-) The Egyptians are pressing in from behind - the Red Sea in front of them. They are sandwiched between two possible unavoidable deaths. First, God moves between them and their pursuing enemy. He protects them from being overtaken and destroyed. That's awesome in itself! Secondly, while the cloud/fire maintains a strong wall of separation - the wind of God blows all night long  across the Red Sea. The result was a seabed that became a dry pathway for the Israelites to walk across. What stood out, was that G...

Caregiving days are just crazy sometimes. Okay, maybe they are most of the time. We never know what's going to pop into our schedule and throw us off, even though we do the same things every single day. Some days go a bit more smoothly, but that doesn't mean any of it is easy. Am I right? It feels like life moves very slowly and very fast at the same time. The good thing is that baby steps are still steps. I've been working with my son on taking steps. He can now take 2-4 steps (with LOTS of help) from his wheelchair to the recliner. It's certainly not easy for either of us. His mobility and use of his legs keep improving, but I still need to help him raise his foot off the floor and swing it forward. He is doing more of the process than ever, but I still have to help a lot.  While I'm helping him take a step, I'm also holding him up. So I have one arm wrapped up and around him to support him and hold him up - and the other arm working with one of his legs to he...

 There are those times when caregivers become overwhelmed. We often suffer from caregiver burnout, and many times, even most times, there's nothing we can do about it. I've found a few ways to TAP out during the day. I can sometimes just sit and sip a cup of tea while my son watches something on TV. I'm working on a book outline that provides tons of creative ideas for how caregivers can relieve stress.  This morning, I was just way overwhelmed. Things just piled up - Chris has a small wound that has to be addressed, I'm behind on work, money is tight, I need a new vehicle, possible job opening up... deep breath. And most of that is not even caregiving Lol. I know you get it - no matter what your list looks like! As my mind went through all the things I need to do to care for my son (myself not included), first I realized I wasn't sure when I had had a shower. Secondly, I wondered if I could throw in the proverbial towel. Of course, the thought was fleeting and I w...

 The term "TAP out" is used in martial arts. When someone is in a fight and they cannot fight anymore, they TAP out. It really means they are forfeiting the fight and choosing to lose. Many times, a fighter will TAP out in a chokehold or other strong armed hold they simply cannot get out of. Sometimes, it's a wise move to avoid serious injury.  TAP is an acronym for To Avoid Pain.  Tapping out is an honorable way of surrendering to another fighter. It is  usually a last ditch effort to survive without passing out or sustaining a bad injury. When the fighter Taps out, the ref calls the fight immediately. There is to be no more punches, throws, kicks, or fighting moves of any kind. The other fighter begins celebrating their win because it is over. As a caregiver, there have been many times when I felt that I emotionally tapped out - just to survive. I usually describe those moments as times I sit, sip coffee, and stare at the wall. It means I'm done for the moment. I c...

 Do you ever just feel stuck? It's difficult to see the future and being able to plan or even dream has passed a long time ago. It's so easy to feel stuck in the caregiving grind. There's no way to see the future, and with each day's responsibilities and uncertainties, it can be hard to even think about how like my look - whenever. But in the middle of the crazy, yet mundane lives we live - we can plan a few things.  I can plan to rejoice in my circumstances, even if they don't change! I can plan to trust God with and through each new day He gives me.  I can choose to let His peace reign even in the darkest night of my soul. Why can I make these types of plans? First off, they are safe and they don't even have a chance of being force canceled like events and outings. And secondly, we can make these choices no matter how stuck we feel - because we know how God has brought us through previous difficulties and circumstances. In Psalm 63:7, David says because You ha...

  Yesterday, I had the privilege and honor of sharing a small piece of my story on a podcast. Once it's released, I'll share the link for those who might want to listen. The host had really done his homework on my story! As I had time to reflect on the last 15+ years, I realized that even in the midst of the pain, grief, worry, and extreme circumstances - God never lost sight of me. I thought of all the things He's brought about over this decade and a half. He had given me a vision of reaching the nations - and when I found my self in a caregiving spot, I literally could not see  how He was going to do that. Here we were yesterday talking about all the teachings I've done around the world. We discussed my 15 or so books and how several of them have been translated into Urdu and thousands have been distributed in Pakistan and India. It's crazy to me that we are now talking translating them into a third language, so we can reach more people with Bible study aids....bl...

 I love hearing my baby sister sing "The Anchor Holds." It's an older hymn that carries quite a punch and reminds us that no matter how strongly the winds of life blow - our anchor holds our ships in place. Hebrews 6:19 tells us that our hope in God is the anchor of our souls. It is indeed our hope in God that anchors our souls which have been ravaged by the storms life has brought our way. In Psalm 54:4, David declares that the Lord is the sustainer or keeper of his soul. Again, in Psalm 121:7 it reminds us that God preserves or keeps our souls. He's got us! If (or since) God is the one keeping my soul, He is the anchor of hope my soul relies on - then there's nothing to fear. When we understand that God holds us, keeps us, sustains us and remains with us in the storms of caregiving, we can truly lay our burdens down and trust that He's got us. Grabbing a hold of that hope has been one of the hardest things for me. I erroneously thought that if I had enough f...

 I was cruising through a few psalms this morning and ended up camping in Psalm 16. One of the things I like about David is how he comes up with a declaration that is solid. He pours out his heart before God in an open, honest, raw, and real way. Then he reminds himself of all God has done or of God's power and interventions. And he finishes off with a declaration. Psalm 16 is no exception. Verses 7 and 8 are where I camped this morning. The New Living Translation says it this way: I will bless the Lord who guides me, even at night my heart instructs me. I know the Lord is always  with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me. These verses stood out to me this morning because it seems that as a caregiver I'm always in a tough spot. It's just never easy - even the "best" days are trying and difficult. Some days are a bit easier than others - but there are no easy days! I found it comforting today to make these declarations with David. I will bless the Lo...

 I've heard it said that hindsight is 20/20. That's because when we look back at things we can see them more clearly. Why is that? Because when we are in  a situation, we can't always see well, our feelings and emotions are all involved and we are probably in survival mode. As caregivers, we often live in survival mode with our focus being to just get through the day and whatever it may bring. But there are times of reflection. I spend those times thinking about how far along this caregiving journey we've come. I remember sitting in hospitals and nursing homes and trying to "see" what the future might look like. Of course, I had no idea. But now, after 15+ years, I can look back and see how far we've come.  As I reflect, I see God's hand in so many things. I realize He's never left me. All those situations that I thought for sure there wasn't a way out of - now, I can see there was. We've made it this far trusting Him. He is going to be in ...

 I'm sure you've heard  one of the sayings about ropes. Some say they are at the end of  their ropes. Others may say, tie a knot and hold on, then! As caregivers it can feel like we live on the end of that rope and there's not even enough room to tie a knot to give us a grip. Caregiver burnout is real. And there's no cure. It can make us feel like we are holding on to the end of this end of the rope while someone is setting fire to the other end. (Yes, I have a vivid imagination!) What do we do when there's no one to call for "relief" or even a little bit of help? What's a caregiver to do when circumstances are more than overwhelming and there's no end in sight? Jesus said a lot of things. He said He is the way, truth, and life. He also said He was the bread of Heaven.  Jesus said He was the door  and the good shepherd. But I don't recall Him mentioning a rope. Did Jesus ever feel like He was at the end of His rope? He didn't get frustrated...