Limping Caregivers

 One of the things Jakob is known for is wrestling with the angel. He was camped at Beersheba on his way to Haran. How come he was there? He was running away from his older brother Esau. Jakob was worried that Esau was going to kill him for tricking their father and stealing his birthright. Get this, Jakob (named the deceiver) tricked his dad into thinking he was Esau. He did something wrong - and was running away out of fear.

But in Genesis 28:12, God appeared to him in a dream. God didn't avoid Jakob, He didn't shun Him or hide from Jakob. He appeared before Jakob in the dream, and then God reestablished His covenant with Jakob. The one who was involved in trickery and deceit. 

Years later, in Genesis 32, Jakob is headed back to make amends with the brother he'd wronged. On his way, "a man" or an angel, depending on the translation you are reading, came and wrestled with Jakob. They wrestled all night long. I could stop there - because we could parallel that with caregiving - it's easy to feel like it's an endless wrestling match! 

In verse 28, the angel tells Jakob, you have struggled with God and won. Haven't we done that in one way or another? When I was thrust into caregiving 16 years ago, I wrestled with my faith. I struggled with trusting God. The struggle wasn't the end. When we fight through the confusing things in life and find faith again - that's a win! When we fight through the frustrations, the grief, the loss, the absolutely radical life change, and the so-not-normal lifestyle of caregiving, and we still trust Him - WE WIN. So, what if we walk the rest of our life with a limp, we're walking it with Him!

Today, I'll embrace the limp in my caregiving life. I may even celebrate it because it means I've worked through the finer details and still been found at His feet. I'll meditate on how He's carried me through this journey, even when I was kicking and screaming. I am grateful for the limp because it means God has been with me, and I'm still walking toward Him. I will trust Him for another day - will all you limping caregivers join me? 

Check out one of my best-selling books - 31 Days in Psalm 31. It's a devotional taken from Psalm 31 (obviously!) - a time when David was hiding in a cave from Saul - even though he'd been anointed the next king. The social isolation of caregiving can certainly make it feel like we live in a cave but God is there with us. And that's what this 31-day devotional is all about, exploring and discovering God in the caves of life. You can get the eBook from my shop at Buy Me A Coffee. Or the print and kindle versions are available in my Amazon Shop.