Love for the Broken Pieces

The other day, I was getting Chris up for the day. Part of our morning processes includes getting him cleaned up a little. You know, washing his face, changing the tube padding, putting on deodorant. But it also includes cleaning his hands and inside his elbows. These can be real trouble spots for those who lack a normal range of motion or mobility. 

As I was washing and drying his shriveled right hand, I leaned over and kissed it. I don't think I've ever done that in the almost 17-year journey. But I kissed his hand and I said, I love you, Bubba. I realized that even though the Chris I knew and watched grow into a young man is gone, I still love him. I love him even though he is broken.

That made me think about how God sees me. My soul must be as crippled as Chris's hand. Sometimes, I can't move emotionally. I'm sure I have some “spiritual” or emotional contractures in my soul. I often wonder if God looks at me and sees how broken I've become during my caregiving years. The grief can be overwhelming. Social isolation eats away at the soul. This list could go on, and I'm sure you've got a few "broken" pieces you could share, too.

But God still loves us, and He loves our broken pieces, too. He sees all those broken areas, even the ones we are not aware of. He brings them close to His heart and whispers, I still love you. We are not disqualified or kicked out or rejected because of the broken pieces in our souls. Instead, we are valued, loved, and cared for. I love that about God. He takes all of me: even the ugly parts, and pulls them near His heart so He can breathe life into them.

That's kind of funny, in a way (not haha, funny, though). If you think about it. It's the brokenness that people want to avoid, maybe because they don't know what to do with it. They often try to hold us at arm's length (if they even get that close) because they can't handle the pain, yet here is God pulling the most broken, painful parts of our souls closer to His heart.

Today, I will remind myself that God is intentional about being close to me. He moves in closer to the areas that hurt the most. He breathes life into my broken soul, and I don't have to hide anything from Him. Not like it's hidden even if I don't share it with Him, right? He holds me close when the world walks away and looks the other way. He steps in to whisper, I love you to my broken, hurting soul. That's why I know I can trust Him for one more day. Will you join me?

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Affirmations for Caregivers

I wrote Affirmations 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. I also have videos on YouTube that coincide with each day's affirmation.