Daily Devotions for Caregivers

 Luke 7:36-49 recounts the story of the woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears. Jesus had been invited to the home of a Pharisee to share a meal. The woman, who has no name, like the woman at the well, was called "a sinner." We can fill in the blank as to what her "sin" was, but it can go unsaid. In verse 48, Jesus says her sins plural were forgiven. We can assume she led a rather interesting life, which Jesus did not condemn, but the Pharisee did. One thing that stood out to me this morning as I was reading this passage was how different the two hearts were. The woman came to Jesus and never said a word. She poured expensive, fragrant oil on His head and began to weep at his feet. She cried so many tears that she began to dry His feet with her tears. Somehow, this woman of ill repute knew  Jesus heart to heart. Even if she couldn't put it into words, and maybe hadn't even been taught it, Isaiah 52:7 was real to her. (How beautiful are the feet of t...

 One of the many difficulties with being a caregiver is that we are always on. There's no break and no time off. Even when we get a little respite, we have to have our phones ready in case we get a call about our loved one's care. It's not like we are caregivers on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with an occasional weekend tossed in. It's an every single day, 24/7, seven days a week deal!  Being on all the time can wear on our emotions and work into our souls. This is why it's so important to stay focused on our Help - the Great Sustainer of our Souls. Psalm 54:4 says Surely God is my helper, the Lord is the One Who sustains my soul. (NIV) When we invite Him into our messy worlds, whether it's our emotions, thoughts, feelings, or broken soul, He walks right in with all that He is. AND - He brings all that He is right into our brokenness. While the world avoids us because it makes them feel uncomfortable, He rushes into be with us and walk with us on the rocky ...

 Does it ever feel like you are being pressed on every side? Who am I talking to? Caregivers often feel like life is being conducted in a crucible. We deal with blow after blow, day after day. Sometimes, it's emotional blows, grief, sadness, and loss. These are things we cannot see, but boy, do we feel them. Other times, it's physical. I'm not sure there is a feeling worse than being a caregiver who can't caregive because of illness or impairment, even if it's a temporary setback due to an injury. During Flu season or Covid outbreaks, God forbid the caregiver catch something. It's more than "difficult" to care for someone when you are feeling less than your best. But even without these "extra" frustrating complications, it's easy to feel squished all the time. We may find ourselves always living on the edge, and it's not what Aerosmith was talking about, either! Lol.  David was in a very different situation, but he was responsible for...

 It's easy to think you did something wrong or are somehow responsible for bad things happening. That's not the case, but many caregivers feel like they don't have the right amount of faith, don't trust God enough, or did something to bring calamity on themselves or their loved ones. I sure felt that way when my son had his wreck. The church didn't help much when they couldn't pray the prayer of faith to raise him up either. Lots of questions, huh? We brought Jeremiah up last week, and the fact that one of our staple verses we like to use, especially when things don't make sense, was written  to the exiles.  Jeremiah 29:11-14 reassured the exiles that God still had a good plan for them, even if they couldn't see it or understand it.  Think about it for a minute, that there were some notable, good people in exile. Daniel was an exile living in the Babylonian captivity. He didn't do  anything to be put in that position. Neither did the three Hebrew chi...

 "In the Sweet By and By" can be found in almost any old hymnal—and maybe new ones, too, I don't know! It's wonderful to have a blissful afterlife to look forward to, isn't it? I'm not making light of it at all. I cannot wait to spend eternity with my Lord! But there are some days when I think I need a little more of Him in my right now.  Galatians 1:3 and 4 says, Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present age , according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen What would deliver us from this present age  even mean? The NLT adds, just like God planned.  From our right now, heaven is a wonderful escape and we all look forward to it! But God planned to rescue our souls from our right now. He planned for us to have peace and grace (verse 3) in our nows. In John 14:1-4, Jesus explained to His disciples that He was "going to p...

  Memories are a wonderful thing. But they can be haunting at times, too. Sometimes, I cherish the good memories I made with my son before his wreck. Other times, I loathe them because of the loss. But if we can look back on our lives and see it as a whole, as a single action, our memories can help us fight the fight of faith today and going forward. In Nehemiah 4, they were working hard to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. But it made others mad, for no apparent reason other than they just didn't want Jerusalem to be blessed and succeed. They were under attack by an enemy who wanted to bring confusion and fear. Why? Because those are crippling. We would be correct in labeling them silent killers.  But in chapter 4, verse 14, Nehemiah empowered the workers by telling them this: Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight.... Don't be afraid - just remember God. That turns out to be powerful instructions. It's pretty simple, isn't it? Yet,...