Daily Devotions for Caregivers

Last week, I did a devotion called Hard Row . It was taken out of Mark 6. Jesus had sent the disciples across to the other side of the lake toward Bethesda. They ran into a strong wind. We focused on verse 48, which says Jesus saw: They were in serious trouble. They were rowing hard. They were struggling. If anyone can relate to those three, it's caregivers! But as we continue reading on in this chapter, there is another triplet that stands out.  Jesus saw the disciples and the difficulty they were in, and He came walking to them on the water. (He sure seemed to do that a lot!) What I found interesting was that Jesus said three things. It's all right. I am here. Don't be afraid. I am a number person (former math teacher), so it really stood out to me that He noticed three things and said three things. They were in serious trouble. It's all right. They were rowing hard. I am here. They were struggling. Don't be afraid. It was like for each emotion they were feeling, ...

Do you ever go through those patches when the difficulties of caregiving life just seem to get tougher? As if caregiving alone isn't enough to navigate, we still have some sort of "life" left to figure out, too. There are more members in most of our families than just us and our loved ones, right? We still have to figure out finances, doctor's visits, our own health, relationships (family and friends), emotions, church stuff... and the list could go on, or be shorter based on our unique circumstances. Then, we go through times when it feels like it's a fight to just breathe. But we don't get to take a breather. We have to push through with at least our caregiving tasks. No one's going to do it for us, and sometimes there's no one around to do it with us, either. There's no option but to suck it up and figure it out! So, we do. But digging out of an emotional tunnel day after day can take a toll. And that's where I was today. Tired. Double tired...

 Mark 6 is packed with things that make you scratch your head in wonder. Jesus feeds 5000 people with 7 loaves of bread and 2 fish, with the disciples giving Him a helping hand. They were part of the miracle. Verse 41 tells us that Jesus asked the Father to bless the food. In the natural, it was not enough. Once He prayed over the food, He began to break pieces off to give to the disciples, who distributed it to the crowd of hungry people. Even though they were an active part of this miracle, verse 52 says they still didn't get it because their hearts were hard and they didn't believe. What a harsh thing to say about the disciples who were following Jesus so closely. But I have no judgement because I know there are areas that I struggle with believing. But let's back up in this story just a little bit. Jesus sent the disciples across the lake toward Bethsaida, and He sent the people home. (v.45) He finally got away so He could spend some time in prayer. He must have spent a...

 Jesus provides us some insights on anxiety in Matthew 6:25-34. I've used this passage to calm my soul many times. When I hear birds singing outside my window, I think of verse 26. He takes care of the birds, so He takes care of me! The birds singing remind me of His watchful care over my soul, and as long as they are singing, He's still providing care! As I was reading this passage the other day, I stopped to meditate on verse 34. Jesus reminds us to not worry about tomorrow. He says that tomorrow will take care of itself. And I love that He says each day has enough trouble. If anyone understands that, it's the caregiver, for sure! We have enough on our plate for today, at least I do, anyway! Why would I want to borrow worries and trouble from tomorrow before anything has even happened?  As caregivers, the future can be troubling. We may worry about our loved one's declining health or increased need for care. Maybe it's a concern that as we age we won't be able...

 Scriptures tell us that Job was righteous. Job 2:10 says that even in his personal dark night of the soul  experience, he didn't sin with his mouth. The NLT (1996) says he said nothing wrong. But as I was looking back over his story, I saw something about Job that I hadn't seen before.  I recognized a progression  of his grief. What's important to note is that this progression was not a sin. Job remained righteous before God as he worked through his struggles. When his world came crashing in on him, Job's response was excellent. In the first chapter, we read the account of Job's absolute worst day ever! I can't even imagine, even though I've related a bit more to his emotional journey at different points in my life. But losing everything, literally, except his health in one day? Whew. All I can do is shake my head. But in Job 1:20, we read Job's response. Job showed his grief by tearing his robe and shaving his head. Then he bowed down and worshipped.  ...

It's so easy to feel like our circumstances rule our emotions. Personally, when my son is doing well, I handle things better. When he has a rough day, my day becomes rough. I'm the first to admit that everything in this household runs around him and his care, mostly because he is total care. I live my days walking on emotionally thin ice, praying nothing breaks.  I've even "bragged" before about being able to go from the mountain to the valley in less than 3 seconds! That's fast. LOL. But it happens. Paul had that opportunity, too, I assume. A quick run-through of 2 Corinthians 11 reveals that he was beaten, stoned, and left for dead, faced dangers on every side, was shipwrecked three times, and drifted out at sea for days. If anyone had an excuse to just give up and sit down, it would be Paul.  As caregivers, we can understand what it is like to have our worlds stripped away. We all face it on some level. Paul could have felt sorry for himself. He could have ...

Does it ever feel like life is broken? I have those days when everything feels broken. It can be in one specific area or (usually) several areas. Everything seems like it's out of place, and nothing is working or going like it should. It's exasperating, physically, mentally, and emotionally.  I mention being in the crucible of life a lot, maybe because I feel like I'm there A LOT! It feels like life is just pressing in and pressing the life out of me sometimes. But even in this "broken" state - I know God has me and I am not broken. Being broken before God doesn't mean we are broken. We may be brokenhearted and poor in spirit,  meaning we are very familiar with our deeply intense need for Him. That's the opposite of being broken... it just means we are smart enough to figure out in our brokenness, we need Him more than anything.  I love that God made it clear in the Word that He is with us when we feel broken. Psalm 34:18 says that He is near the brokenhea...

I made it to Nehemiah 2! The story just fascinates me. I love Nehemiah's dedication to rebuilding the walls, even though it looked impossible. He was faced with a huge chore, plus physical enemies who tried to talk him out of it and tried to discourage him on every side.  In Nehemiah 2:14-18, it talks about Nehemiah surveying the walls. In one area, the rubble was piled such that even his donkey couldn't navigate through it. Donkeys are classic pack animals. They are some of the oldest domesticated animals used to transport goods. This was partly due to their ability to carry heavy loads across difficult terrain. Yet, the wall was in such disrepair that his donkey couldn't walk across it. That's some major destruction! If I'm honest, and I usually am, there are times when I feel like my emotions are broken beyond repair. Emotions can be difficult to manage, and even harder to explain. But the difficulty of navigating heaps of rubble didn't stop Nehemiah. He was ...

  I've spent quite a bit of time in Nehemiah the last year or so. I taught a class via Zoom in Pakistan, and we went through the entire book. I am currently turning all those notes into a study guide. Hopefully, I'll make better progress on it and get it done soon!  I didn't realize how full of prophetic action Nehemiah is. Intriguing as that is, it's not usually that that draws me back over and over. I also used Nehemiah for my leadership conferences. It's such a great book for all of us, and for leaders. It works for leadership, and that's why I included Nehemiah in the four men studied in Making of a Leader. So, this morning, I found myself going back through Nehemiah. Honestly, I looked at the first page of the book and thought, why isn't this more marked up? lol. As my eyes ran back over chapter 1, a phrase jumped out at me. It's in verse 9. It is in Nehemiah's prayer, and he says,  even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring y...

I make a lot of promises, mostly to myself. One promise I make is every night as I am lying down, I promise tomorrow I'll work harder. I'll do better. Another frequent promise I've been making to myself is to talk kinder to ME! Yesterday, I was encouraging Chris as I was transfering him from bed to chair. I wondered if I could say those things to myself.  Good job! Way to try! I've got you! Negative self-talk is so destructive, but it seems to go with the territory. I don't know why. Perhaps because we are in a constant state of overwhelm. Maybe because we feel inadequate. Or maybe it's because no matter how much we do, we never feel we've accomplished it all. Who knows? So, this morning I was looking for some positives to speak to my soul. I found a whole list of things in Isaiah 49. I think sometime last year I did a series of sorts on these points. But this morning, I wanted to string them all together to encourage myself and you, too! This seems to be pa...

 This week, I re-explored the story of the 3 Hebrew Children. The king had set up an idol and demanded that everyone bow down to it when they heard the music start. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah refused to bow to any god but God. The king threatened to throw them into a fiery furnace, which would mean sure death. They still refused to bow. I love their faith statement. Our God is able to deliver us, they said. But if He doesn't, we still won't bow. They must have had some doubt that God was going to come riding in on His proverbial white horse to deliver them. But they were resolute. Even if...  they would not bow! I wonder what they thought as the day began to unfold. God didn't come before the ropes were tightly secured around their hands. Maybe they looked toward heaven and asked, Are you coming now? No sign yet. They were led toward the furnace, which was being heated up 7 times more than normal, to represent the king's anger toward them.    Just before they get...

 I LOVE my flowers. I enjoy houseplants, too. Maybe it's because I love being surrounded by life and beauty. The last couple of years, I haven't had the money to buy any outside plants. But this year, I went ahead and splurged even though the budget was super tight. I am so glad I did!  My inside, fully shaded patio has greenery and beautiful flowers hanging, creating a small haven where I can sip tea and read if I get a minute or two. My other patio has LOTS of sunshine most of the day, so this year I tried sunflowers, and I was not disappointed! I've so enjoyed them, especially in the early mornings, they seem to be so happy, smiling, and waving good morning! I've never had sunflowers before, so I didn't know how they would do. They do take some tending, but they seem to be doing pretty good. But I noticed yesterday that there are lots of dead ones, lots of beautifully bloomed ones, and plenty all ready to open up at next morning's light!  I hadn't really ...

 I "found" a scripture last week that described my typical caregiving day. It's in Genesys 42:36. Jakob has found himself in a hard spot. He lost Joseph a lifetime ago; now there is a famine in the land, and it's extreme. He sent his older sons to Egypt to get some food so they could survive. Now, the "mean" leader that they are unaware of is Joseph himself, who wants them to return. But he is requesting that they bring Benjamin to prove their story is true. Jakob cries out, "You have bereaved me of my children, Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin?" (ESV) His next breath is spent with the thought that comes behind many sighs. Everything is going against me!" (NLT)  Have you ever felt that way? Things can pile up so quickly on any given caregiving day, and it can feel like everything in life is working against us. It can be a few big things, numerous "smaller" things, or a combination of the two that ...

 It simply is NOT easy taking care of another whole person. I don't know about you, but I find myself second-guessing nearly every decision. My hope was that this would get better over time, but it has not. No matter how big or small a matter is, it seems like there is always a question.  Did I make the right choice? Was that the wrong decision? If I'm not careful (overthinker that I am), I will let those questions drag me into the emotional abyss and convince me that every decision I've ever made was wrong. LOL. Funny, but somehow it happens! It's just hard to make decisions for another person, especially if they can't weigh in on things that affect them. For some of us, myself included, there's enough second-guessing about the decisions that affect us directly, without the emotional mix that comes with making decisions for (or about) others.  Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet up with a missionary who visited my uncle's church last Sunday. We hit it ...

 Caregiving days can be a little bit (okay, a WHOLE LOT) crazy. I won't start with my list, because I know you have one that matches, or maybe a little bit longer! We understand how lonely the walk can be and how difficult each day is. Caregiver burnout is real, but for many of us, we have to ignore it and keep pressing through. There isn't relief on the way; the cavalry isn't coming! We often struggle under the load, but we can't let anyone know as I mentioned in a recent post . What we end up doing is finding ways to walk numbly through the toughest parts of our days, while hoping something brighter is on the other side. We can't talk about mental health  because someone might think we are not fit to be caregivers. But there are some ways to help. Firstly, as believers, we run to God's word for comfort, direction, and help. We know that He is our present help in time of need. And all our time - is a time of need. The old hymn comes to mind - I need thee, O I n...

2 Kings 4 tells the story of Elisha, who prayed for the Shunammite woman to have a child, and she did. The boy grew up and was working in the field one day when he grabbed his head in pain and then died. She headed straight for the prophet. Elisha saw her when she was quite a bit away and sent his servant, Gehazi to check on her. When he asked her if everything was okay, she answered, It is well.  One way to look at it is that it was her statement of faith. Another way to look at it is that it's an outright lie. Gahazi specifically asked her if all was well with her, with her husband, and with her son. But all wasn't well as the boy had died. I'll take it as her painful, but faith-filled declaration. She was probably numb on the inside, and like most mother's in distress she likely had tons of unanswered questions about the moment and the future. Yet she says, All is well. As caregivers, we can live in an "all is well" state. We don't tell people how we fe...

  For parents with disabilities who are balancing family caregiving and income goals, small business ownership can feel both promising and heavy. The business startup journey often collides with real entrepreneurship challenges: uneven access, fluctuating energy, medical needs, and caregiving schedules that don’t pause for deadlines. Too many resources treat disability inclusion as an afterthought, leaving parents to patch together plans that don’t match daily life. With the right framing, entrepreneurship can be built around capacity and support instead of pushing past limits. Quick Summary: Starting a Business as a Disabled Parent ●      Choose a business idea that fits your strengths, accessibility needs, and caregiving responsibilities. ●      Pick a business structure that supports your goals and protects you appropriately. ●      Use funding resources designed for disabled parents to reduce financial barriers...

 When my son had his wreck over 17 years ago, I didn't leave the floor we were on for 10 days. Then, I only went to the cafeteria to get something to eat. I recall waking up in the SICU waiting room, trying to recalibrate my mind to what was going on, and hoping it'd all been a bad dream. From the beginning, I knew that God was in it.  (Whatever that meant.) Honestly, I thought God would touch Chris, he'd do some rehabilitation, and we'd all go back to what we were doing before the crash. Somehow, I thought, and hoped, that I'd wake up and see God riding in a white horse and rescuing us. Obviously, that did not happen! I openly and frankly admit my frustrations with God and the times I spent so angry at Him for allowing this to happen. But I kept finding that I really couldn't do life without Him, wreck or no wreck.  I needed Him to hold me and carry me, no matter how mad I was at Him.  All of these thoughts came rushing back in as I was reminded of the story of...

 As I was doing my personal Bible study this morning, my eyes fell on an odd verse. It kind of stood out because it said, I ground them as fine as dust carried by the wind. I swept them into the gutter like dirt. (NLT) I thought, what in the world? So I read the next verse, which says, You gave me victory over my accusers... That's where I stopped. I remembered that Revelation 12:10 says that the Devil is the accuser of the brethren. These verses (Psalm 18:42-43) say we win over the accuser. I liked that, so I thought I'd camp there for a while. I do think our enemy gets some bad press, and he is often accused of things that he didn't do - sometimes stuff is the result of our bad decisions. But I also know that he likes to accuse us of things to discourage us or talk us out of God's blessings.  Some accusations he likes to throw at me a LOT: You don't have any faith or this wouldn't have happened (or you could reverse it)... You are a doubter and not trusting Go...