Daily Devotions for Caregivers

  Yesterday and today both I've had this verse running through my head. It's something Jesus told His disciples and it's in John 14:27. The New Living Translation says it this way: I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid.  I am embracing this verse today! Just the thought that Jesus said He is giving us peace of heart and mind makes me stop, think, and be grateful. I think the hardest part is remembering to let  it rule in our hearts and minds. The world is a crazy place right now and very little peace can be found anywhere. But Jesus said He was leaving it with us.   What I really like is that He didn't exclude caregivers! He didn't exclude anyone. All we have to do is choose to accept this gift. He knows our proverbial plate is full - fuller than most. Yet He didn't say we couldn't have His peace if we had too much on our plate. We've just

According to Proverbs and James all we have to do to receive wisdom from God is ask. Sounds simple; it is simple. We can ask God about anything and ask for wisdom to deal with any situation and He simply gives it. How do we know we have it? Sometimes it's obvious as we will suddenly have answers to questions we were asking or discover the perfect way to diffuse a touchy situation. Those are answers. But James 3 talks a little bit about the fruit of wisdom.  Or maybe we could say how we know  we have it operating in our lives. James 3:17 explains: The wisdom from above is first  pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering without hypocrisy. God's wisdom is of course pure because He is holy and pure. For us this purity means to be free of selfish motives, jealousy and arrogance. We can't ask for God's wisdom to beat someone else or to get ahead of someone in a competitive nature. His wisdom comes into situations to bring peace

Be anxious for nothing.  That's what Paul told the believers in Philippians 4:6. Obviously they didn't have a handicap van and people parking in the way of the lift in a clearly marked restricted area! (People wrongfully taking handicap spots is one of my pet peeves btw.) As a caregiver you know how anxious life can be at times, or all the times sometimes. Surely Paul would rethink these instructions were he here today, or maybe he wouldn't.  Every single day there are constant opportunities to be anxious, sometimes it even feels like we are living anxious. If we do not guard ourselves we can be one huge bundle of anxious as we walk through the day. And it can take the smallest thing to cause us to explode. One of the strategies I use for dealing with anxious thoughts is to turn them into prayers. Sometimes, when I remember, I turn them into thankful prayers. Then not only do I have peace in my heart, but His peace invades it as well. And when I give Him these crazy,

Something as simple as a flower can be a bright spot in a day. When we walk through the park behind our apartments, we often find wild flowers growing sporadically along the side of the trail. It's been my practice for many years to simply enjoy this random beauty and allow it to lighten my heart. If that's the only reason God made wild flowers, then I am thankful. He usually has a reason or purpose for just about everything, we just don't always discover it right off. This morning I was reading through a psalm that I grew up knowing. My mom read it to me when I was scared or troubled. As an adult I read it to my children as well. Psalm 91 I believe has been misinterpreted over the years to mean that nothing  is going to happen to us if we stay hidden in Him. On one hand, I agree with the concept - our soul (being)  is safe in Him. It is safe from any type of harm. Our body on the other hand, is susceptible to life. As I was reading this familiar passage I paused to t

Many people think the life of the caregiver is one full of constant distress. In one way this is true in that there is never a dull moment and always something or someone to tend to. But once the initial shock is over, and we accept our role and find a new normal,  life just goes on like it does for everybody else. That's of course not to say that the caregiver's life is an easy one or that we are not concerned and busy with many different tasks....daily. Even though our minds and bodies go a hundred miles an hour all of our waking hours, there can still be an underlying heart peace. John 14:27 tells us that God gives us a peace that is not like the world's version of peace, which is not peace at all. I have to be the first one to say that not letting my heart be troubled and not letting  my heart be afraid are not easy tasks and it takes a lot of effort on my part. He gives us His peace; a peace that is way beyond our understanding (Philippians 4:7.It is up to us

In both letters to the Thessalonians, Paul started out by saying Grace to you and peace  from God our father and Jesus Christ our Lord.  He knew that their lives were being turned upside down by the opposition they were facing so I think he started his letter by speaking peace over them. Like the caregiver, I'm sure they needed an extra amount of peace. Caregiving is not thought of as peaceful - even on our best days when things go "as planned." We face numerous decisions and the difficulty is in making them for someone else. Finding peace is not always easy. My Uncle Calvin's go-to advice was always "follow peace." Even though he's been gone home now for many years - I find myself returning to that nugget when I am faced with decisions, especially troubling ones. Sometimes it's easy to sort things out and determine the most peaceful  solution; other times it just ain't happening! If we as caregivers need  anything - I'd say it's peac