Daily Devotions for Caregivers

 One of the things on my list of ways to decompress is to enjoy a cup of tea. But seriously, who has time for all that? By the time the water heats up, I'm off doing something else. Usually, I totally forget about my steeping tea until it's no longer "tea." lol. I did switch to a thermos mug which helped. Not too long ago, I thought I was busy. In fact, I thought it couldn't get busier. But, boy was I wrong. On the good side, my son is getting three therapy sessions a week now. And on a better note - he's responding well and making some great improvements, improvements that are not "supposed to" be made over 15 years from the initial injury. For this I am so grateful! I am thinking that "busy" is not a long enough word to describe my situation - perhaps you can relate.  I think we can all agree that caregiving is demanding. And it demands more than just physical stamina - although that is a huge factor. Caregiving makes a draw on every part...

 Today's title can be read a couple of different ways. I think maybe where a person is emotionally and mentally might influence how it's read. If a person is excited, it might be an exclamation. Wait, there's more?!!! But that's not how I was feeling it. Lol. Living in overwhelm mode has me reading it in a more mundane tone. More like, great, there's more. Does it ever feel like things just keep piling up and getting higher? Even good things can become overwhelming for caregivers. Adding one thing to our day becomes the proverbial camel-back-breaking straw, right? I don't know about you, but I often find myself juggling and eliminating things just to get through the simplest, ordinary day. (No caregiving day is simple or ordinary, btw!) But here's the thing I was meditating on this morning. Psalm 94:19 says, IN the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your  comforts delight my soul. I love that God is not afraid of our anxieties. He never demands that we ...

 Do you ever feel like you are running back and forth, and round and round trying to survive life and the Enemy of your soul keeps taking pot shots at you? It's like you're always lined up in the cross hairs and your head or your heart is the bullseye.  I remember when I first started the caregiving journey, I prayed I would survive. Then I prayed that I wouldn't become hardened through life's difficulties. I also asked God to help me emerge (even though I don't know what that looked like) having done something profitable for the Kingdom of God. I thought of all the stories I'd heard of people who were persecuted or imprisoned. When they came out they had accomplished a couple of things.  Firstly, they knew God in a deeper, more intimate way. And secondly, they had written books. Think of Paul who wrote about 2/3 of the New Testament. He wrote most of those letters sitting in a prison cell. I also think of Joseph who was in the prison all those years for somethi...

As caregivers, we have a unique set of enemies. Remember Ephesians 6:12 tells us that our battle isn't against flesh and blood. We are not fighting people, even though sometimes getting others to listen to us and take us seriously is quite a fight! That's okay - our real fight is against fear, doubt, and fatigue. Maybe you got a few more to add to that list.  Of course, we are also told in 2 Corinthians 10:3 that we don't wage war with human plans and methods - we don't have natural weapons. But we do have supernatural  ones! God has equipped us for the fight and He goes with us through every battle.  Today, I used Psalm 23 for my Facebook Live devotions. One of my points was that God prepares a table for us in the presence of my enemies. (v.5) He creates this huge spread of peace, comfort, direction, truth, and love while our enemies (fear, doubt, confusion, etc.) just look on. They are NOT  invited to the table - we get to eat in peace!  And of course, this fe...

 This morning, I was reading in Exodus 14 as I prepared for my Facebook Live devotional "Peace Out." I talked about how the cloud moved around from in front of the Children of Israel to behind them. God's glory was light to the Israelites and total darkness to the Egyptians who were chasing them. God's delivering power and protection are just amazing in this story.  But as I went back to read it again, something else stood out. The Bible is so cool like that! :-) The Egyptians are pressing in from behind - the Red Sea in front of them. They are sandwiched between two possible unavoidable deaths. First, God moves between them and their pursuing enemy. He protects them from being overtaken and destroyed. That's awesome in itself! Secondly, while the cloud/fire maintains a strong wall of separation - the wind of God blows all night long  across the Red Sea. The result was a seabed that became a dry pathway for the Israelites to walk across. What stood out, was that G...

Caregiving days are just crazy sometimes. Okay, maybe they are most of the time. We never know what's going to pop into our schedule and throw us off, even though we do the same things every single day. Some days go a bit more smoothly, but that doesn't mean any of it is easy. Am I right? It feels like life moves very slowly and very fast at the same time. The good thing is that baby steps are still steps. I've been working with my son on taking steps. He can now take 2-4 steps (with LOTS of help) from his wheelchair to the recliner. It's certainly not easy for either of us. His mobility and use of his legs keep improving, but I still need to help him raise his foot off the floor and swing it forward. He is doing more of the process than ever, but I still have to help a lot.  While I'm helping him take a step, I'm also holding him up. So I have one arm wrapped up and around him to support him and hold him up - and the other arm working with one of his legs to he...

 There are those times when caregivers become overwhelmed. We often suffer from caregiver burnout, and many times, even most times, there's nothing we can do about it. I've found a few ways to TAP out during the day. I can sometimes just sit and sip a cup of tea while my son watches something on TV. I'm working on a book outline that provides tons of creative ideas for how caregivers can relieve stress.  This morning, I was just way overwhelmed. Things just piled up - Chris has a small wound that has to be addressed, I'm behind on work, money is tight, I need a new vehicle, possible job opening up... deep breath. And most of that is not even caregiving Lol. I know you get it - no matter what your list looks like! As my mind went through all the things I need to do to care for my son (myself not included), first I realized I wasn't sure when I had had a shower. Secondly, I wondered if I could throw in the proverbial towel. Of course, the thought was fleeting and I w...