Daily Devotions for Caregivers

  One of my favorite Bible characters is David. He was quite the "character" at times, too. David was not perfect, didn't do everything right, and made lots of mistakes. Boy, do I relate! But he was also quick to repent. I find his psalms to be open, honest, real, and raw. In fact, it was Psalm 13 that helped me on my caregiving journey.  Caregiving has its own mix of emotional roller coasters. Not to brag, but I can go from mountaintop to deep, dark valley and back to the mountaintop in less than 3 seconds. And, still not bragging, but I can do it hundreds of times a day...or an hour. David's open honesty helped me realize I really could  share my emotional crazies with God. It's not like He doesn't know anyway. Today, in Psalm 119, I found a small emotional crazy of David's, I think. I love verse 24, which says Your decrees please me: they give me good advice. David sounds content. He seems to have found a moment of peace and realized that it is God'...

 Everything is complicated. Caregivers don't get to enjoy a "normal" life. When we do get to do "normal" things, it takes so much more effort than most give us credit for. It's okay. They really don't get it. Most don't understand the extra effort we put into daily things that others take for granted. Simple things like buying groceries, cooking, and running to the bank can be complicated at best. Impossible at worst. If we are fortunate, we have some people who can help us get all those done. Thank God for Instacart! :-) The struggle is real. But so is hope. Sometimes it seems like these two things are mutually exclusive. But this morning, as I was searching for answers myself, I discovered something I hadn't seen before in a familiar psalm. I know we talk about Psalm 13 a lot, but my Bible fell open to it, and I read it one more time.  David starts Psalm 13 with gut-level honesty about how he feels. He is asking God where He is. David is wonder...

 Do you ever have those times when it feels like absolutely nothing makes sense? We plan for job advancement and homeownership. We planned our careers, families, and retirement. But one day we look up to realize nothing is what we planned. Even though, mentally, we planned on caring for our parents, or we have raised a child with special needs, the picture isn't what we planned. But here we are. Putting one foot in front of the other. One day at a time. When nothing makes sense, we just keep trusting. I think that's what Asaph was talking about in Psalm 77. I return to this psalm a lot! I also hang out in Psalm 13 and, of course, Psalm 31 ! These are soul-searching, heart-wrenching psalms. In Psalm 77, Asaph asks hard questions as he reflects on his life. He asks if God has rejected him forever. And then asks, Will He never show me favor again? (v. 7) In verse 8, Asaph continues his questions with, Is His unfailing love gone? Have His promises permanently failed?  And in verse...

 Life is not fair. Caregiving is not fair. As time goes on, it can feel even less fair. It can seem like life cheated us out of plans, hopes, dreams, and our lives with our loved ones. I wonder if this is how Jakob felt.  Laban was a cheater; he did not play fair. Jakob was introduced to Laban's deception from the start. He made an agreement to marry Laban's daughter, Rachel. Jakob was sooooo in love with Rachel. But after the wedding was consummated and the veil removed, Jakob discovered that the love of his life, the woman he agreed to work 7 years for, had been withheld by Laban. He had just married Leah, Rachel's older sister. Talk about the old switcheroo... smh.  Laban had tricked Jakob, and he required another 7 years of service in exchange for his daughter Rachel. Jakob loved her so much he overlooked Laban's cheating, lies, and deceptive lifestyle.  Jakob struck up another deal with Laban years later. Jakob wanted to leave; Laban wanted him to stay because h...

 I cannot believe we hit 1.5 million all-time views!!  I'm thankful for every reader, every email, every comment - you guys are awesome! Thank you for taking this journey with us and for always being there. You are such an encouragement as we navigate the waters of caregiving together.  Together we've tackled the hard topics, stuff no one wants to talk about, aloneness, grief, sadness, overwhelm.. and the list goes on. But we've also talked about the God who is always faithful. The One who doesn't abandon when life gets ugly and complicated. We've redefined faith. Tightened our grip on God and His word. We've refused to give up and strengthened our determination to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Much appreciation for every single one of you - let's hit 2 million, whatd'ya say? Will you join me? :-) As always...thanks for reading! Jeanie .

 The other day, I fasted. Hadn't done a whole day in years! Lol. I lived. As a way to kick off the fast, I read Isaiah 58. I've always called it the "fasting chapter." But I was surprised when I found it isn't about fasting at all. Lol. (I'll be posting on my main ministry blog about it sometime this week. You can catch that blog on my ministry website Dove's Fire Ministries .) Besides my discovery that I'd been wrong all these years (lol), I found a phrase that grabbed my attention.  Isaiah is explaining that fasting is really not effective if you're not doing the works.  Of course, works don't save us. But works are a natural by-product of a heart and life fully given to God. (Check out James2) In verses 6 and 7, Isaiah is listing things that needed to be changed in the lives of those who wanted to live holy and truly "fast."  It's a good list, really. Free those wrongly imprisoned Stop oppressing those who work for you Treat wo...

  Most caregiving days are hard, period. Others are just more difficult to navigate than others. In verse 19 of Psalm 77 (yes, I'm still there! lol), it says God's path was in the sea. Asaph is referring to the Children of Israel, of course. They've just come out of Egypt. God has freed them from the clutches of slavery. It didn't take long for them to find themselves in another fix - right in the middle of God's great deliverance. There they stand, on the banks of the Red Sea after watching first-hand all of God's miracles. To make matters worse, Pharaoh's army is pressing in behind. But God told Moses to go forward. Why? Because He had already placed His path in the Red Sea.  That means that before He said Let there be light, He had laid the path for their escape.  The path was there in their scariest moment and had been waiting there all along. God didn't have to figure out what to do once they arrived on the banks of the Red Sea. He had it planned al...