Daily Devotions for Caregivers

 If you've followed my blog for long, you know that I love the creation passages. There are several of them scattered throughout the scriptures, from Genesis, of course, to Isaiah, Psalms, and even Job. I enjoy reading the passages and imagining the scenes as they are described. This morning, I went all the way back to Genesis 1, where the beginning began.  It's interesting to me that God created light on day one, but He did not create and set the sun in the sky until day 4. How did that happen? We tend to feel like our lives revolve around the sun - and in a very practical, actual way, it does here on Earth. But as I unleashed my best creative thinking and imagination to try to capture the power of creation this morning, I realized that the sun isn't the point. It's not even a reference point since God didn't bother to create it until day 4. What's even crazier is that He didn't need it for light. He only set it in the sky to "govern" the light. I...

I love the Road to Emmaus story in the last chapter of Luke's gospel. But this morning, as I was reading it with fresh eyes, a couple of different things stood out to me. It's almost two stories in one since Jesus reveals Himself to the two walking on the road, then He does the same to the disciples later in the chapter. As He approached the two men walking toward Emmaus, He recognized that they were sad. Jesus asked them what they were concerned about. We know that God doesn't need to ask us questions just to obtain information. Lol. They began to share their deep grief with Jesus as the three continued to walk toward Emmaus. As they shared their viewpoints about how the Messiah had come, and they had been disappointed when He was killed, but now they were hearing that He had been raised from the dead. Jesus met them where they were  in their belief system and in their doubts, and he began to explain all the OT prophecies pertaining to Him. Wouldn't that be an amazing ...

 For some reason, this week has been rougher emotionally. It seems I was just cruising along, and BAM! I got hit with all sorts of stuff from many different sides. I gifted the rest of my son's percussion equipment to a young, local drummer who is just starting out. I felt like I was giving a piece of my son away. But I convinced myself it was better for the bag of goodies to be used than to just sit in the closet for another 15 years. Then, yesterday, I came across a video on FaceBook. When Chris had the wreck, he was in a relationship with a wonderful young lady. While I have no ill feelings toward her for moving ahead with her life, it stung as I watched her wedding video. I had a break-down moment and an ugly cry. I am happy that she is happy, but my emotions got the better of me as my son has been forgotten. For the caregiver, it can feel like the world has moved on and we've been forgotten. The alone-ness is deep, long, and dark sometimes. Friends seem to have moved far a...

 Each day presents many paths, and we get to choose which one(s) to walk. Some things are given, right? We will care for our loved ones meeting their needs often before (or instead of) our own. We'll cook, clean, do laundry, work, and of course, have coffee. Those are givens. The one big choice to be a caregiver supersedes and commands all these smaller choices. We don't even have to think about them for the most part. They are just part of our days. We got on that path already, and we just ride life out from there. We don't get up every morning and wonder if we'll be providing care for our loved ones. We just do it. But we can choose some paths. And the freedom of being able to choose can help us oftentimes keep our attitudes in check. Here's what got me thinking along these lines. This morning, I was reading Psalm 142. In verse three, David, who just happened to be writing it from a cave according to the subheading, says this. When my spirit was overwhelmed within...

Yesterday morning, I was puttering around doing my caregiver tasks. For some reason, the last couple of weeks have been particularly hard for me emotionally. I fight off thoughts about what my son might have done if the wreck hadn't happened. Would he be playing drums for a famous band? Who would he have married? Would he have married at all? What would his children be like? What would he look like and act like as a dad? I try to brush them aside, but the barrage continues.  As usual, I start thinking of scriptures to encourage myself, and I heard myself think, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I thought about it for a little bit. Then, I decided that maybe I don't want to do all things. Maybe doing all things isn't what it was cracked up to be. Does it mean I have  to do "all things?" While I am thankful that I am able to be my son's caregiver, sometimes I sure do wish life had taken a few different turns. I'm sure Paul did, too, as h...

 This morning during my personal Bible study time, I was reading back through Jonah. I find his story amazing. I am currently preparing some teachings for my YouTube channel , and Jonah's story fits right in. Make sure to subscribe! As I was reading this morning, I realized that God calmed the storm after the crew tossed Jonah overboard. That got me to thinking. I went back and read the two storms that Jesus calmed. (Matthew 14 and Mark 4) It seemed to me that there is a pattern of calming storms in the Bible. Jonah's was one that was his own fault. The disciples, however, were sent into their storms. Both times, Jesus had instructed them to go to the other side. Do you think Jesus didn't know there was going to be a storm? Since He as all God-all man, He had to know! But He also knew He was going to meet them in the middle of the storms and speak peace. As caregivers, it can often feel like we live in a storm. If there are multiple storms, it can seem like there isn't ...

 For caregivers, having a moment here or there to just sit and breathe can be few and far between. We are pretty much on-call 24/7, even if we care for our loved ones long distance. There isn't a time we can just slip away and not be available because we never know when a call may come. Sometimes, it's a small decision. Other times, it can be critical. So, it's important to be on duty and vigilant all the time. For those who provide around-the-clock up-close-and-personal care for loved ones, it's difficult to find a moment to ourselves, even when we live in a caregiver's cave! But sometimes, the universe aligns just right, and a caregiver gets to sit with a cup of coffee or sip on their tea and take a breath. Even though it's rare, when it does happen, I find myself allowing a long, deep sigh to escape.  It's involuntary, meaning I didn't plan for it. It just happens. The deep sigh is an emotional response that is healthy, actually. It's part of the ...