Daily Devotions for Caregivers

This morning, I spent my devotional time preparing for the Facebook live devotions I do each morning. I was reading in Matthew 6:2 -34. Jesus was telling those listening to the Sermon on the Mount that they shouldn't worry about anything. He said to seek the Kingdom first - and all these things will be added.  God knows what we need.  After I finished the live session, I sat down at the computer to write this morning's devotion for caregivers. I know I should probably write a few ahead but I really like writing it each morning. It helps me focus for the day!  I started thinking about how we talk a lot in this devotional about how we are complete in Him . We discuss how we still have all of His promises with nothing lacking. There are no exclusionary statements to limit caregivers' access to all of the blessings of God. I love that. But then, I started thinking that if there are no exclusions for caregivers on the good stuff, then there are no exclusions on the requirement...

  Most of us care for a loved one and it's all out of the love we have for them. My son is nonverbal. He makes some sounds and can definitely let me know when he doesn't like what I'm doing. lol - I do not know where he is mentally, I can only make assumptions. I also don't know how his thinking processes are working since he cannot tell me. One thing I tell him over and over is that I love him. One of my deepest desires is for him to feel loved. I want him to know how much I want to take care of him and provide for him. But mostly, I want him to feel loved. Over and over every day I tell him he is loved. Every task and every chore is due to the love I have for him. I'm sure as caregivers, you can relate.  As much as I love my son, and we love our caregivees, it can still be difficult to communicate that love even though every action is bathed in love for them. That makes me think about our Father. 1 John 3:1 says behold the manner of love the Father has bestowed on...

  Do you ever feel overwhelmed? I ask this question partly in jest because as caregivers it's a definite "all the time" answer, right? Many nights, I feel like a failure. Actually, most nights as I am preparing to collapse into the bed, all the things I didn't get done dance through my head. I think of all those things left on today's to-do list that will remain on tomorrow's new list.  As caregivers, there are so many demands made on us every day. Recently, my son has been ill so this increased doctor visits, nurse visits, etc. I know you know the drill. Scheduling these necessary things on already crowded days can totally overwhelm a person who is already overwhelmed, adding to the negative thoughts of being a failure. Recently, I've learned to identify these negative thoughts as soon as they begin. I start telling myself, "I may not have got this and that done today. But I did get this, this, that, and something else done today." I remind myse...

  I know I've written quite a few times about Hagar, but her story intrigues me. I think I can relate to the rejection and loneliness she must have felt. In numerous devotions, I've talked about how God met her right where she was. She did have God "find" her twice. But there are other people in the scriptures that God met too. The list is a bit longer when we start thinking about how many times God met someone along the way. Twice He came and ministered to Hagar, He met Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), He met Balaam and stopped him before he sinned against God (Numbers 22). Jesus went through Samaria on purpose  to speak with the woman at the well. He crossed two taboos in their time - going through Samaria and speaking to a woman! (John 4) He walked out to the disciples in a storm in Matthew 8. And the Angel of God came to Gideon when he was hiding from the Midianites in Judges 6. It's easy for today's religious thinkers to label these Bible characters...

I meditate a lot on Psalm 46:10 which says to, Be still and know I am God.  I even wrote a little song about it and lately, I've sung it quite a bit. Many of the blog posts on this devotional for caregivers are focused on just being still and knowing He is God. He is the one constant in the caregiver's life; the one thing (person) that doesn't change in what can be a very fluid life. This morning I started thinking about this verse and my thoughts led me to how He is a shelter for me. He's the only place I can run to and find peace, hope, and unconditional love. My thoughts turned to running to Him and I thought, I don't have anywhere else to run to.  Then, I thought, I am not looking for someplace else to run to. Lol. Even those times when faith is wearing thin and I cannot seem to find Him in my day-to-days, I still run back to Him. I do not have a safer place to run to. Even in the thick caregiver's fog, I still keep running to Him. My "be still" an...

The account of creation in the final chapters of Job are among my favorite scriptures. To hear the account of creation from God's point of view is nothing less than powerful. All of a sudden, Job and his friends are silent as God begins to describe His handiwork in words they could understand. And as He gives us intimate details of His creation, that only the creator could know - I am awed once again by His power and wisdom. This morning as I was reading the questions God was asking Job, I turned them around to statements of action. These are some restatements of the way God handled creation in my own words: He calculated and measured earth's dimensions He set boundaries for the waters of the earth and told them they could "go no further" He commanded the morning to appear He knows where light comes from...and where darkness goes when light appears He knows where the seas "come from" He ensures the proper sequence of the seasons He placed the co...