Daily Devotions for Caregivers

Life is filled with the unexpected. No one knows this more than a caregiver, right? We literally never know what a day may bring. Our loved one may become ill, have a fall, or any number of things. Of course, the unexpected isn’t always negative either. Someone may send a gift that brightens your day. Or a stranger speaks kindly to you and your loved one. You just never know. The Bible has lots of unexpected things too. One thing I was reading about this morning was the birth of Jesus. When Simeon saw baby Jesus, he began to proclaim and prophesy. This phrase in Luke 2:32 stood out to me today: A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles. The Gentiles? We were in God’s plan all along even though the Jews found it so surprising. Remember Isaiah 60? We know the first verse well and used to sing it back in the ‘70s when we thought it was cool to just sing the Word. The first part says Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you! But t...

This word “wait” is an interesting term. It has two meanings. On one hand, it can mean to wait until something happens. It happens when something is supposed to occur – and you have to be patient as you wait for it to happen. We wait on someone to show up at an event. We may wait for a movie to start. I wait for my coffee to make each morning. 😊 The other way to use the word, “wait” is to serve. We like to tip a good waiter when they serve us well at a restaurant. The doorman waits on us as he serves us by taking our coats. The valet serves us by parking our car. So when we say we are waiting on God which one are we talking about? These crazy thoughts started as I was reading in Isaiah 49 this morning. I had actually started in Psalm 31 as I’m working on a new devotional to come out soon. My meditations were on not being ashamed to trust God. A series of short searches and I landed in Isaiah 49:23. The very last part of that verse in the New American Standard Bible says ...

Have you ever wondered who would find your tear-stained pillowcases? Odd question, I know. But after a very emotional day yesterday I found myself crying into my pillowcase last night. This is extremely odd for me as I rarely cry at all. I tease and say my “eyes sweat” occasionally. But I am certainly not a crier. Yesterday seemed different. The load got heavier – I know you as a caregiver understand! We carry so much every single day, how in the world could it get worse? But we all know – it can and it does from time to time. It doesn’t usually take too much to be “more overwhelmed” than being overwhelmed. Lol As I buried my face in my pillow last night and let my heart cry out without words to God, I found a bit of peace. I became thankful that He was still right here with me, even after the blows the day had brought. I became grateful to have a safe place to take my heart without fear of condemnation. Then this morning, I got up early to get my head on straight bef...

As a caregiver, you want to help your loved one feel as independent as possible. Living independently with a visual impairment is not just possible, but it’s well within reach. If you’re planning on updating your current home to make it safer and more comfortable for your loved one, you don’t have to spend a ton of money. Simple modifications can make your home safer and more convenient. By knowing how to design, illuminate, and organize your house, you’re taking the first step in helping your loved one live comfortably with a visual impairment. Keep in mind that while some of these projects are DIY, you may need to hire some help for bigger jobs, especially those that require electrical work. Rethink your lighting and contrast Making changes to the lighting in your home is not only inexpensive, but it’s probably the best thing you can do to make living with a visual impairment a little easier. For the most part, it’s advisable to increase the amount of light i...

As I was reading this morning I came across a phrase that caught my eye. I picked up my Bible and just started reading where it opened. It just happened to be in Psalm 33. The subtitle had grabbed my attention as it says The sovereignty of the Lord in Creation and History. I’ve been looking at different passages about creation as I find it fascinating. But when I got down to verses 13-15, I paused. Then, I read it over about four times. Then, I looked it up in several different versions. Guess what. They all say about the same thing. So, I looked it up in the Strong’s and Lexicon. The word “fashioned” as I assumed means God shaped our hearts. He was involved in the creation, folding, and molding of each individual heart. And the heart, of course, is not representative of our physical blood-pumping heart. It’s our spirit-soul man. The part of us that makes us an individual. The part of us that is the alive part. I found this all fascinating. Psalm 33:13-15 says this: Th...

I think I’ve shared that I’ve been studying the armor in Ephesians 6. If not, guess what! I’ve been studying the armor in Ephesians 6! It’s funny to me how we can read something over and over and then one day it seems to just open up and make sense. I have read, studied, and memorized this passage, but in the reading this time several things stood out that I hadn’t noticed quite this way before. Hopefully, I can get it all out of my heart and mind and into a study guide or devotional – not sure which one yet. So, this one little phrase really stuck out to me this time. Paul tells the church at Ephesus to put on all the armor so they can stand. He mentions standing a couple of times throughout – when you’ve done all… just stand. Do you have days like that? I know I do. Days when caregiving is just overwhelming and we’re at the end of our own proverbial rope are frequent it seems. But here we are – still standing. And thankful to God for perseverance, strength, peace and His pre...

Today I decided to share a song that I wrote. I know I’m not a really good singer- but I hope you can hear past it to God’s message to you. This was written after I’d stayed day and night in the hospital with my son for over three months. It would be about two more weeks before we would transfer to a nursing home. Needless to say, my heart was broken. Shattered into pieces and I wanted to run..but God gave me this song as a way of reassuring me that He was with me through the long, dark nights. And that His heart was indeed still beating for me. My hardest task then was to fight my way through the emotions I was feeling and find rest in Him. Will you join me on a journey to Father’s heart? Here’s Beating for You: