Daily Devotions for Caregivers

 Not too long ago, I got out my old jewelry boxes and discovered several bracelets I had purchased back in my teaching days. I wore casual suits everyday and back then I liked to wear earrings and bracelets. I'd forgotten how much I liked my bracelets, so it brought me a small amount of joy to start wearing them again.  One of the bracelets is silver and has a plate that reads, "Blessed." I had laid it aside and chosen some of the other ones to wear. This morning, I grabbed my "blessed" bracelet and slid it on and went about my morning. It turned out to be a true blessing. Funny how that works, huh? I thought about how blessed I am, just to be a child of God. I thought about how His word is still true even for caregiving. But then I also thought about what a mess I've made of a few areas of my life. Then, I smiled, as I thought, I guess I'm just a blessed mess, then. I am so thankful that God didn't make His word or His promises void for caregivers. ...

Many of us have read the story of Job many times. It always raises a lot of questions, doesn't it. We may wonder why a righteous man has to go through such terrible time. I've asked why God allowed it in the first place. Yet it says that Job was righteous and never blamed or accused God during his struggles. I know loss, most caregivers do. But I can't imagine losing literally everything in a day. Job lost his family - all of his children and all of his wealth. Yet it was going to get a lot worse before it would get better. Last week, in my Facebook Live devotions, "Peace Out," I talked about the last chapter in Job, and how he blessed God before  he was healed. In Chapter 42 verse 2, Job acknowledges that God's plans and purposes cannot be redirected, avoided, or changed. To trust that God still had purpose and a plan for him in his dire circumstances is quite a huge step of faith. That really got ahold of me last week. But this morning, as I was thinking abo...

 As caregivers, we often face difficult choices. It's not easy making decisions that directly affect our loved ones, but we do it all the time. We choose doctors, programs, aids, and tons of other things that affect their daily lives. But sometimes, our most difficult choices lie within. I was reading in 2 Timothy this morning, where Paul assured Timothy that God didn't give a spirit of fear - but He does give us power, love, and a sound mind. Perhaps the most difficult choice we face on some days is God's peace, love, and grace instead of fear. While fear is going to come, it doesn't have to set up a home in our hearts or minds. David said in Psalm 56:3 whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. It wasn't a matter of facing fear or not - but of when he was going to face fear. The enemy of our souls loves to stir up fear in us. (Maybe it's just me?) He'll come at us with all sorts of crazy thoughts that may or may not even be probable. Thoughts lead us into ...

I love reading stories about people who have dug deep through the struggles life presented them and found themselves on the winning side. So many people we admire and consider to be successful got where they are today through some serious grit. When you mix grit and faith - it's a dynamic duo for sure! Most days, caregiving takes a certain measure of grit just to survive. It takes a lot of grit to choose to be a caregiver to begin with. The day-to-day grind then demands we stay gritty and get grittier, too! Our Bible heroes had grit, too. Think about the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11, and you'll find some gritty, faithful people listed there. People who held on to the promises of God no matter what life threw at them. Real people with real families who faced unimaginable circumstances and still held onto faith in God. Maybe it's not to the same degree or in the same arena, but caregivers do the same thing day after day.  We choose not to face the day without God's help. O...

 I've had this popular praise song running through my head and heart for several days. It goes something like  Awake, my soul, and sing His praise, sing His praise aloud! I decided I needed to find the verse that it was based on since I was certain it was a scripture. Funniest thing, I found it in one of my go-to, favorite Psalms. It wasn't Psalm 31 - which I used to write a devotional called  31 Days in Psalm 31 ... It was another go-to passage, Psalm 57. I had memorized the first verse of the 57th Psalm in 1986, when I was so ill. It's remained one of my foundational scriptures even through caregiving. I use it as a prayer and as a reminder to trust God as my refuge day after day. So, I was a little surprised to find this verse nestled in familiar territory. Verse 8 says Away my glory! Awake harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise You Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. (NASB)  One of the things that has become a norm...

 Happy Thanksgiving to my caregiving buddies!! One thing I am thankful for is you, my readers. I'm thankful for each one of you who has taken the time over the years to send me a message, either publicly or privately, to tell me part of your story, too! We are all in this together, for sure. Thanksgiving is more than just a one-day event where the world stops to eat and hang out with friends and family. It should be our lifestyle, really, especially as believers. It can be difficult on some days, given our caregiving situations, to be thankful. But I've found that if I can lift my gaze just a little about the suffocating circumstances, I can find something, anything  to be thankful for. It always improves my mood and my attitude, even if the situation remains the same.  Most mental health professionals in the world will even tell you that having a grateful attitude improves your mood and is healthy for your body. How much more effective is thankfulness when we address it ...

 This morning, I read another story about a family who couldn't keep their reservations at a restaurant for a special event simply because it was not accessible. They had done their due diligence, and the website, as well as the listings online, indicated the establishment was accessible. When they arrived for their special meal with the family, they found every single entrance had a series of steps that were NOT accessible by wheelchair. They had to cancel their reservation and find another place to eat. These types of circumstances can be so frustrating, and if we let them, they can socially paralyze us. I know when we go visit a new place, there's always a chance we'll have to make alternate plans. We were told specifically by a hotel that our room was fully accessible, only to learn when we got there - that only meant it was on the first floor. Lol. Getting my son's chair in the door was another issue, and that was literally all we could do. He could not access anyt...