Caregiving Crazies

What do you do on those days when it seems like everything starts at the bottom and goes downhill from there? Ever have those kinds of days? Maybe it's just me. After having one yesterday, I was hoping for today to be a bit less hectic. Sometimes, we know some things need to change, but when there's so much on our plates, where do we start? What do we do? How will we get our "it" all done? *shrug*

That's kind of where I was this morning as I opened my Bible and tried to sound sensible when I prayed. Lol. I don't know if I succeeded, but I know He has answered. :-) It's so easy to feel stuck in circumstances that vary for all of us. Change is not easy in "normal" life, but can be much more complicated for caregivers. I was so overwhelmed, I wasn't even sure where to start reading in my Bible this morning.

I ended up opening it to Lamentations 3 to remind myself that His mercies had refreshed for me this morning, my right now morning. Then I thought about how His mercies are new for every morning and they just keep being renewed like that are automated. It's going to happen whether I realize it or not. It's morning somewhere and His mercies are still brand new. 

Chris standing at Red Rock Canyon

But there is more. His grace is still enough. Paul begged God to change his circumstances, whatever the thorn in the flesh was to him (2 Corinthians 12). Paul said he asked God three times to take it away. What was God's reply? My grace is enough. Well, guess what—His grace is still enough for us today, and it will ALWAYS be enough! 

It won't matter how much or how little our lives change from day to day; His grace will always be enough for our present circumstances and situations. So we have this constantly renewed mercy and always sufficient grace that continues to work on our behalf not just "every day" but all.the.time!

As I continued to meditate about these I figured it was up to me then, to renew my faith, hope, and trust in God. Each day brings new opportunities to trust Him more. It's a rinse-and-repeat cycle where we have to just keep declaring we will trust Him. It isn't a magic potion that makes all the difficult things go away, but it is a sure-fire way to work through all our stuff. David encouraged himself in the Lord. He renewed his commitment to trust God so many times throughout the Psalms. David was always going back to 1) who God was, 2) what He'd done, and 3) how he was going to trust God in the surrounding circumstances. Then, he would turn his "how" into a declaration. 
  • I will trust You, O Lord.
  • I will praise You.
  • I will lift my hands to you, O Lord.
  • I will sing in the midst of the congregation.
We can do that, too.

Today, I will be more determined to trust God with all the particulars of caregiving. I will thank Him for bringing me thus far, and I will trust Him to take me through one more day. I will not fear but I will trust that He has me in His hand and in His heart. I trust He will walk through this day with me again - because He wants to...I will trust Him for one more day, will you join me?


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Cover of the devotional 31 Days in Psalm 31

BOOK OF THE WEEK: 31 Days in Psalm 31 What was David thinking about during some of his hardest trials? 31 Days in Psalm 31 is a devotional that spends 31 days with God in the cave. 

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