Daily Devotions for Caregivers

This morning, as I was studying the Bible and reading some familiar passages, I landed in Psalm 121. It's an all-time favorite and I made the first verse or two into a song during the three weeks I lived in the ICU waiting room hoping my son would wake up. This first verse speaks of God being our helper and how the psalmist was looking to Him alone for help. It's not the aides, though a good one can be helpful. It's not the doctors or nurses, although they are an integral part of a good care team. But it is the Lord who is our helper - help, especially for our souls, comes solely from Him. That's something to hold onto to encourage our hearts on a day to day basis, for sure! But today, my thoughts settled on verse 4. He who keeps you will not slumber, behold He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Now, as a caregiver, you can understand how important the commodity of sleep is. Personally, sometimes I get a decent 6 hours of sleep, but there are many...

We've all had to make some adjustments during this pandemic. One thing I am grateful for is having my son home with me.  My aunt is in one nursing facility and my mom in another. Fortunately, both nursing homes have been proactive about connecting residents with their loved ones via technology. I can call and Facetime with my mom and I can send a message to skype with my aunt. I try to visit with each of them at least once a week. Monday, I talked with my aunt for a bit. Today, I got to visit with my mom.  Mama doesn't talk much anymore. She will answer questions, mostly "yes" or "no" questions. She giggles a lot and cries when I call. The calls don't last too long as there isn't a whole lot to talk about with them. But today I decided to read mama one of my grandma's poems. (Her mother.) She seemed to really respond and acted like she enjoyed it.  As I was reading it, I thought about how appropriate it is today. My grandmother wrote...

I've heard my self quoting the first part of John 14:27 a lot lately. So this morning I decided to look it up. Jesus tells His disciples Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you not as the world gives - do I give to you. But as I read it again this morning, I realized I've been leaving off the last part. It says Let not your heart be troubled - neither let it be afraid. (NASB) That's important, of course, because Jesus said it, but so that we can keep the peace He gives to us. If you think about the act of giving - it requires the act of receiving. Have you ever given someone something and they give it back? To them, it was interpreted as worthless. It feels horrible when someone does that, doesn't it? Jesus wants us to receive His peace - we gotta take it - and embrace it. As caregivers, our days can be anything but peaceful sometimes. We hit the floor running most days. Some nights we run all night too - when our loved one doesn't sleep well or is si...

As the pandemic begins to wind down, questions abound. As caregivers we are charged with the care of the nation's most vulnerable population. Our household has stayed in for 5 or 6 or how ever many weeks now to protect my son and grandson. Over the next couple of weeks, some businesses will slowly start to open. I'm not sure it looks much different for me. I'm anxious to get Chris out into nature again! But caution wins out ever time I consider it. I don't think it's fear - but who knows what any emotion is at this point? Some of us have numbed out, and some of us nearly stroked out. lol. One thing that brings me comfort is the history of the Spanish flu. It did come to an end. Sadly, it was after many losses. Not knowing what the days ahead hold can leave us with feelings of uncertainty. Maybe there are some feelings of security and safety from staying in our homes. I'm anxious to see my mom and aunt again, though. I am thankful I have my son at home - I...

I stayed in Psalm 139 for my devotions this morning, mostly because I love that chapter. It is so rich. My focus was on verses 7-12. The psalmist is talking about being in God's presence no matter where he goes or might try to hide. No matter where - God could still be found. And God could still see him. The first thing that stood out to me was in verse 8 where David says  if I make my bed in hell - You are there.  Of course, my first question is why would you want to do that?   Lol. But once I thought about it a bit longer, I realized if I make a bad choice - God doesn't throw me away. He doesn't have a big buzzer He pushes as He screams, "Wrong answer!" Even when I do dumb stuff - and I do it a lot - He doesn't abandon. He doesn't get exasperated with me or my choices. He continues to walk with me trying to guide me. The second thing that stood out in my mind today was verse 12 where the psalmist says darkness and light are the same to You. After r...

This morning during my Bible study time, I found myself in Jeremiah. I love this OT prophet! Many look at the book as gloom and doom - but I see God's persistent heart throughout the prophet's writings. He is always reaching out to us whether we are reaching out to Him or not. I landed in chapter 29 in a familiar passage to most of us. It's always good to revisit familiar passages like this because our vision can change based on our circumstances. Yes, the word of God doesn't change - but our ability to see it differently does. Experiences make so many passages sweeter, doesn't it? One of my favorite worship leaders, Dennis Jernigan , says the drier the desert, the sweeter the rain. Many times His word is like the soothing rain on my dry aching heart. That's the way it was this morning. Jeremiah 29:11-13 says this: For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord thoughts of peace and not  of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you ...

As April continues to be unrolled before us it is uncertain what is ahead. For those of us who are either part of the vulnerable population or caring for someone who is among the most vulnerable - the days are more uncertain. On one hand, many caregivers are used to some level of social isolation. But what little liberty we have had has been taken away. It's easy, and natural to experience a sense of loss during this time. This morning, as I was preparing for the two daily devotions I try to do, I found myself in Colossians 4 and verse 2. Paul encouraged the believers to devote themselves to prayer. He also told them to be alert and diligent about it. Well, it's likely that there is a lot more prayer going on in our world today than there was before Covid-19. But Paul gave another aspect of prayer I found beneficial. The apostle Paul said to pray - with an attitude of thanksgiving.  Now, giving thanks may not be at the forefront of our minds right now - especially while f...