Daily Devotions for Caregivers

 I am pretty sure that no one will argue about the difficulties of the caregiving journey. Caregiving is challenging no matter what. The sea is sometimes calmer than other times, but it's always rolling and creating waves big or small. One thing I've discovered is that it doesn't really matter how challenging or smooth the day is - I'm going to trust God, no matter what. I don't trust Him less on the days that are easier, I still have to trust Him and let His peace reign in my heart whether it's good things or bad things that try to distract me. In 2 Thessalonians, Paul's closing starts with this: May the Lord of peace himself always give you His peace no matter what happens. I found myself reading and re-reading this verse over and over this morning. His peace is good in the bad times - and it's good in the good times. Sometimes, it's the good times that become more of a distraction because I forget my intense need for His peace when things look lik...

 This morning, I was reading Acts 16 about Paul and Silas. They had been "seriously" beaten with rods, cast into the inner dungeon, and their feet were fastened securely in stocks. These two men had to be in intense pain with their backs open and bleeding. And I'm pretty sure it was difficult to get comfortable in a concrete block with their feet chained to the floor. I tried to imagine what that would feel like, especially taking into consideration the fact that they didn't do anything wrong - nothing that deserved punishment of any sort, let alone something this extreme.  But this is where they found themselves. The account goes on to say that at about midnight (which would be very dark - as we can tell when later the jailor asked for a light to go into the dungeon area), they were singing to God. They were not moaning, crying, wailing, or whining. They were singing - not to the prisoners. They weren't leading everyone in a chorus of Amazing Grace. These two men...

 Israel was on the brink of taking the land God had promised them. They were most likely weary from traveling across the wilderness all those years. They sent in the spies to take a look around. The majority of the spies saw how hard it was going to be to conquer and take the land. But two spies, Joshua and Caleb, saw the remarkable fruit and the good things about the land.  I spent some time thinking about my own perspectives after reading this account in Nehemiah 9 this morning. Those who gave what the Bible calls a "bad report" focused on all the challenges, difficulties, and how hard the conquest was going to be. Joshua and Caleb focused on the end result and how wonderful it would be once God conquered their enemies, and they took the land. On any given day, I can be anywhere in that process. Some days, I'm quick to acknowledge that God is with us, and we can take this day. Other days, I look at all the caregiving chores and responsibilities and wonder if I'll ma...

 Do you ever feel so scattered that me, myself, and I feel like three distinct people? (Who am I talking to here!) For caregivers, distractions are free - forget a dime a dozen - and they come at us all day long from so many different directions that sometimes it's unreal. It can seem like the simplest things tear us apart emotionally sometimes. We have to give ourselves a break and lots of grace because we run on overload and overwhelm.  It often feels like I'm being ripped apart from the inside out. "I" feels one thing. Maybe it's anger, frustration, or overwhelm. "Me" feels something totally different. Maybe there are a few joys in Chris' progress sprinkled with a few laughs or coffee with a friend. And in the meantime, I'm trying to get "myself" together so I can get all of me on one page. It's the only way to get things done, right? It never fails, though. Part of me gets all focused on a task, whether that is work or caregivin...

Sometimes as a caregiver, we don't feel comfortable sharing the emotional part of our journey with others. Perhaps sometimes, it's for their emotional safety. (Lol) Other times, we fear they won't quite "get" us. And for most of us, it may simply be because we don't want to dump on some unsuspecting soul. That can get us in an emotional bind because we hold everything inside with no release. It can even seem like the religious world doesn't allow our emotions. They are condemned and labeled as a "lack of faith," or we are told we are not trusting God. I beg to differ on this point. God made us to have emotions and feelings. Why wouldn't He allow them? Our struggle shouldn't be in not letting them show but in learning to channel them and manage them in healthy, godly ways. I'm pretty sure throat-punching someone is off the table when it comes to handling emotions. Lol. I'm not saying I ever did- but... These types of thoughts were ...

Most mornings, right after I get my son up, I put on some sort of teaching. I try to find a YouTube video that is about an hour or shorter for him to watch. Well, I figure his spirit man needs to be fed - it didn't get damaged in the wreck. Our soul is always protected and hidden in God. So, I put on some teachers I know he liked or that were familiar to him. Our favorites are Duane Sherriff, Loui Giglio, Francis Chan, and Steven Futrick. I kind of randomly rotate through these teachers, so he gets some different "flavors." Yesterday, I heard whoever we were listening to say that Job prayed before his troubles, during trouble, and after his troubles were over. So, that sparked me to read in Job during my personal devotions this morning.  In Chapter 6, Job is in the thick of the battle. His friends have joined him, and in their grief, they have sat with him for 7 days without being able to say a word. They probably should have remained silent because their words began to c...

 Each of our caregiving journeys is different. Of course, some things will be similar, but we are each dealing with very unique situations and circumstances. We share things like emotional roller coasters, grief, and a disrupted, very not-normal lifestyle. But our parallel lives have many differences. Even the things we share, like grief, are different. Some grief is because we see our parents or elderly loved ones slowly fading away. Some grief is because we wonder what our child could have accomplished. Others grieve over the loss of a child, even though we are still caring for their bodies and the person we knew is gone. There's a whole gamut of possibilities for grief. Any way you want to slice it - it's still grief that can't just be erased. There are so many challenges - mostly every day for caregivers. Those challenges can be in one or more of many different arenas, including finances, supplies, relationships, or our own physical health. But here's the good thing...