Tripped Up

 

Caregiving is tough. Thankfully, God is tougher and a lot more understanding than people. As we navigate through each day mentally, emotionally, and physically, it's easy to get tripped up. Sometimes, because we live so on edge, it's the littlest things that tip us over, and all sorts of emotions pour out. If you are like me, maybe you try to not get to that point. But it's difficult because we live on edge. There are times that I just scratch my head and wonder why in the world I got so mad just because I dropped my pencil or I couldn't get the trash bag to open using just one hand. The struggle is real. Lol.

Our emotional cup is full. We can live in stressed-out mode. And there is absolutely no condemnation for living under the emotional load. Most people cannot fathom the pressure involved in the day-to-day lives of caregivers. What's worse is they ignore us because they don't get it. Abandonment and loneliness take their toll, too. 

Romans 8:1 reminds us that there is absolutely no condemnation for those of us in Christ. God's not going to stand up and wave His finger in our face even when we mess up. I think He just holds on tighter.

My thoughts have been running along this vein since I read Psalm 37 last night. There is a lot to unpack in this psalm, and it is a powerful resource for the weary soul. But my attention landed on verses 23 and 24. In the NASB, it reads the steps of a man (person) are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls (what???), he will not be hurled headlong. Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand. I have questions, obviously. 

If (since) my steps are established and ordered by God, and He loves walking through life with me - why am I going to fall? (I stubbed my toe, overdrew my account, can't get the trash bag open with one hand... the list is enormous! lol) It does say when, not if. We are going to stumble as we work our way through life, especially caregiving, but God already has a plan. And this is the part I love -He is the One holding MY hand. 

He knows we are going to stumble. He knows we are going to mess up according to the world's standard; it just comes with the territory. But He will not let go of our hands. He will continue to uphold us, strengthen us, and speak His peace into our weary souls. We just have to keep coming back to trusting Him - a million times a day, if necessary!

Today, I will remind myself that God is still holding my hand and He is still keeping my soul. Even though there will be a million things digging at my faith and my sanity - He will not leave me stranded, He will hold me up from the inside out! I will keep reminding myself of this truth all day long. I will trust Him with my soul, my pain, my grief, my confusion, and even my unbelief because He is big enough to handle it. He will carry me as needed, so I will trust Him for one more day. Will you join me?

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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!