Seasons change. Every year it's the same. The seasons stay in order as God designed. There are rainy times and dry times, and a mix in between. Caregiving has its similarities. We have hard times (not that all caregiving isn't hard!), and times when things may not be perfect, but at least they are a little bit better. Sometimes, it seems like God sends just what we need, and it's usually in the driest times for our souls. Maybe it's a phone call from an old friend we haven't connected with in a long time. For me, it might be a new client or an offering to help pay for printing costs for Pakistani Bible study guides. But eventually the rain will come on our dry and weary souls. It may not last forever, and it might not last long at all, but it will come. In Psalm 68:9, David says that God sends a plentiful rain, He restores and confirms His heritage when it is dry and weary. (amp.) I heard a phrase in a song written by Dennis Jernigan that stuck with me. Basically, ...

  Soldiers may understand the night watch. It's never an easy post. It's tedious and tiring. But they have to stay alert. It's a life-or-death situation. Maybe second to military personnel, the caregiver understands the night watches. There are those times when it is midnight dark in the middle of the day. Our soul craves normal. We long for peace, and maybe just a little bit of help now and then.  The psalmist said, I lie awake thinking of You, meditating on You through the night. (Psalm 63:6) I'm not sure what I've done all night could be classified as “meditating.” Maybe whining, complaining, asking God why or why not. And you know what? I think God sees past my ugly cry spells to the gut of the matter - I'm still reaching for Him. No matter how dark it is, even in the day, my heart keeps searching for Him. In the next verses, the psalmist says, I think how much You have helped me; I sing for joy in the shadow of Your protecting wings. I follow close behind Y...

 Over time, caregiving becomes our new normal. It's not any easier, but God gave humans the ability to adapt. And adapt, we do! We get used to our daily caregiver regimen, as hard or easy as that may seem. Of course, some days are easier than others. Some days are tougher on our scale, only measured by emotion and impact. Sometimes, we are so locked into our daily drills that it's the normal things that trip us up. For most people, something like a flat tire is an inconvenience. For caregivers, it brings another whole level of frustration and figuring out the days. For most, it's just a little skip in their day. For caregivers, it's a roller coaster ride of what ifs. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is simple for the caregiver, even though we adjust well.  Running out of an ingredient in the kitchen has a simple solution for most people. But for the caregiver, it often means a major upheaval!  We carry the "big stuff" all day and all night every day and every nigh...

  Don't you love it when you read a familiar scripture and see something new? You'd think we hold on so tightly to some of them that we'd squeeze all the juice there is out of them, right? Lol. We know that the Word of God (the Bible) is alive. (Hebrews 4:12) It never changes. But we go through things that help us see it through different perspectives. Our experiences shape how we read, pray, and receive His word. As we grow in faith and in trusting Him, we start seeing even more than we could have imagined. Take another look at 2 Corinthians 12:9. God reminds Paul that His grace is enough  no matter what he was going through. I don't even know how many times I've quoted, read, and used this scripture to get through difficulties. But reading it again today, there was this little thing I hadn't "seen" before even though I've lived in this passage for years. In verse 7, Paul is talking about his thorn in the flesh.  He is praying about it. Probably k...

 Have you ever felt like you were in a dry place? Being thirsty is super uncomfortable. If you become dehydrated, it may take more than water to quench it, too! In Psalm 63, David says that he is thirsty for God's presence.  (v.1) He says that his soul and his flesh, all that he was, wanted God more than anything. Being separated from others and living in social isolation is one of the hardest parts and biggest adjustments of being a caregiver. But feeling separated from God is so much harder. Sometimes, I've felt like God packed up and moved away. Yes, I still had faith, and I know that God doesn't even have the capacity to leave us. But my feelings try to say otherwise. Many times, I've found myself searching scriptures, sermons, songs, almost anywhere trying to find some shred of Him. I know He's there, I just don't feel it. I wonder if this is some of what David was feeling as he penned verse 3. I have looked for you in the sanctuary. As I read this and rela...

 Does it ever feel like our work is never really done? Sometimes, I'm so tired, I think my work is tired too. It has to be. We finish one task only to realize there are ten more that need to be done right now! I've come to grips with the fact that I will never  actually get done. I just have to get as much done each day as possible, while reminding myself that it is still okay to sit for a cup of tea or coffee from time to time. I wonder if God feels like He's watching the Energizer Bunny... it keeps going and going and going... Lol. (Yes, I dated myself there, didn't I!) Isn't it a little bit comforting to know that God can match and exceed our energy levels? No matter if we max out our efforts, He's still got more to give. Isaiah 40 reminds us that He never gets tired , He never grows weary. Honestly, I can't imagine that. There's no way to compare our finite being to our glorious infinite God, though, is there? For my live, Peace Out! devotions on Fac...

 This morning, I was reading through the first chapter of James to prepare for Bible study classes that start tonight. I realized there were a lot of "T" words in this first chapter. These stood out to me: trials, testing, temptation. That's a lot for the first chapter, right? I thought about it for a little bit, and how we can face any and all of these on any certain day at any time. As caregivers, we walk through a continuous trial where our faith is being tested day in and day out. Every day we face things that others have no clue about, and trusting God is a daily, hourly, or moment-by-moment choice. We may be tempted to throw in the towel or give up, but we know we can't really do that. Maybe we are tempted to throw up our hands and walk away. For me, it's sitting, staring at the wall, and drinking coffee. Lol. There's nowhere to go, really. Our hearts hold us near our loved ones, and we don't really want it any other way, but man, can it be hard. We ...