Who's Chasing Who?

Of all the troubles we can face I think one of the hardest things to do is concentrate on Him. I know each day many times we are just trying to make it through, and some days are better than others! While some days seem like they will never end...

Somehow those overwhelming days seem a little shorter and a little lighter when I take a minute to concentrate on Him. If I take even a few minutes out of all the necessary activities that caregiving demands and meditate on Him - it helps to lighten the day's load.

This life is about relationships. Those who work enjoy their jobs when they can work among others with whom they have good relationships and rapport. Let the relations between coworkers become strained and a once loved job is a drudgery!

Serving God is not supposed to be a drudgery either. It can be a very enjoyable experience when we focus in on maintaining a relationship with Him. It's not a relationship if we are reading the Bible simply to survive (although that's better than nothing!). Relationship means we visit - religious people call it praying. We can share all of our stretched out emotions with Him - and allow Him to share His emotions with us. Then it becomes a working relationship with both parties actively participating.

Even though we need  Him - we caregivers know we cannot do what we do on our own - I want to do more than just need Him. I want to walk with Him, talk with Him and be like Him. When we are in love with someone we want to be with them all the time...that's how God feels about us and as we pursue Him we will feel the same way about Him! Take some time out for yourself today. Spend just 5 minutes listening to Him and begin to develop or redevelop that intimate relationship with Him.

Back to Basics

Emotions can run high for many caregivers. We keep them all stretched out all the time. When things like recent natural events like the tornadoes in Alabama occur it seems to stir them up even more than usual. For me - I cannot even watch real intense movies or TV shows because the emotions are simply too raw most of the time. The emotional strain of caregiving can be very overwhelming - and difficult to control. Then add in a terrible tragedy like the recent devastating tornadoes and they can be difficult to get it all balanced and manageable again.

During the times that emotions are running so high it can also be difficult to find something solid to cling to. We know the Lord is our rock, our refuge and our constant hiding place but when the world is falling apart we need something to hold on to while we are hiding in Him!

These are the times we may find it beneficial to go back to what I call the basics. The most basic truth we learn as Christians is God's unfailing love. No matter what type of trouble life brings us this is a steadfast truth that we must cling to. God loved Job even while going through his trial, He loved Paul and Silas - and Joseph even in their prison cells. He loved Noah in the ark - it could not have been easy to see the whole world destroyed before his very eyes...he was a person and probably very emotional. Think about how it would make you feel to be the only ones left during such destruction. It would not breed pride - but rather great humility... the point is God loves. Our situations are not strong enough to change His love. No trouble can bring a tide high enough or strong enough to wash away His love for us.

Jeremiah says of God's love - I have loved you with an everlasting love...
Romans 8 says that there is absolutely nothing  that can separate us from His love...

Take some time today to rest in His love. His love is sure and steadfast and everlasting no matter what we face...embrace His love for you today.

Taking Care

As with any type of trial, caregiving has bad days and better days. Each day is filled with its own struggles and hopefully triumphs! But there are those days that there has to be  conscientious effort to lay our burdens on Him. And because we are superman in so many ways, this can be a difficult task. I mean face it, we are the ones expected to hold it all together...but what if we are falling apart? Oh trust me, we are good at this and we will hold it together to get our loved one through the day! Even if it means we sneak off to our room now and then to let it all out!

But those times when we are so totally overcome by exhaustion and emotionally wiped out there's only one thing to do. Lay it at His feet.

One of the scriptures we are taught at a very early age is 1 Peter 5:7. We are taught to cast all your care on Him, for He cares for you. And I think there are two ways to interpret this verse. One of course is that He is a loving, caring Father and we can give Him all our concerns and woes. The other way I look at it is that we can give Him all our worries, concerns and cares because He will do the caring for us.

Today, or the next time you are overwhelmed take a moment to give it to Him and let Him do the caring for you in both ways. He will take care of you and He can also do all the caring on your behalf! Even though we don't get a day off - take time today to give your emotions a break...and give it all to Him!

The Power of Seeking

The story of Gideon is one of my favorite Bible stories. He has been called a coward by many since he was technically in hiding working the wheat. And yes, I'll admit he was hiding from the Midianites but it's the why he was hiding that intrigues me. He was hiding from the enemy to preserve his family. I don't see cowardice as others have, but I see determination and courage.

To me Gideon's heart was set on not  letting the enemy have his wheat. He took all the necessary measures to make sure that they would not get it and his family would! He was risking losing it all, but here he was working away when the angel found him and hailed him a mighty man of valor. Notice that Gideon didn't take issue with whether he was a couragous warrior or not, but began asking where God was.

What the angel said to him has given me much to think about. In response to Gideon's question  if God is with us why has all this happened? The angel said - go in this your strength.  Gideon's intense quest for God was actually his strength. When we continue to seek the Lord even in adversity - our strength really develops.

Isaiah 55 says seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. As we continue seeking Him our strength will continue to increase. He is not challenged by our questions and He never loses heart or says a question is too difficult for Him to take on. He won't wring His hands in dispair wondering what He's going to do with our sincere questions. And as we seek Him - we will grow in Him.

If you are a caregiver - and you are still seeking Him - you won! You didn't give up - you are a mighty man (or woman) of valor who is determined to not let the enemy have your stuff (or faith). So don't stop now - keep seeking the Lord as He truly is our strength.

Everyday Pressures

One of the things that others don't understand is the day to day pressures that we deal with. Even on the best good days we have there is so much to deal with. And really, when we are experiencing a good day any simple thing can wreck our emotions and we have to sweep them up for the rest of the day! Honestly, I'm not sure why that is except that we run so tight all the time. Our emotions can be stretched between pleasant and unpleasant emotions so tightly we are like the proverbial taut rubber band. So tight, in fact that any simple motion can set it off.

We all deal with the emotions of being a caregiver in different ways. Some of us may find a place and cry it out, others get angry and some just hold it all in. No matter how you deal with the huge responsibilities and load of being a primary caregiver we all know we must have Him to carry us through. When we can admit we really cannot do it on our own - He can step in and lift us up.

Lamentations 3:19-24 offers us great hope. Jeremiah starts out in verse 19 about his affliction and life's bitterness. This "Bible hero," a prophet of the Lord speaks of being bowed down within. Can we relate to that or what? Then Jeremiah shares how he encouraged himself in the Lord. He said that he reminds himself of how  the Lord's mercies never cease, and His compassions never fail. He recalled how these compassions, His mercies are new every morning. And that's how he remembered that he had hope!

So today let us remind ourselves of the mercies of God. Take a minute or two when things get heavy today to remember things that God has specifically done for you. Or think of a time when you know He had to carry you through! - renew your hope in Him today! It's a new day - here, it's still morning - so He has a brand new set of mercies and compassions ready to carry you through the day!

Faith and Stuff Like That

A day can bring so many various moods and emotional swings. For some it means rejoicing one moment in small progresses and then grieving over the things lost. As Christians how are we to deal with these emotional swings? Many try to tell the caregiver that they lack faith or trust...but I believe the fact that we keep going in the face of adversity speaks of a much higher faith than many possess. We simply trust Him.

Who holds on as long as a caregiver? If there is one tiny ray of light, one single glimmer of hope we will go until there is no more strength...and then some. Each day our loved one is breathing - there is hope. And we will hold on to that as we lift it up to God and pray for strength to make the day while we pray He answers our heart's deepest cry and helps our loved one. That's faith.

Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. We keep trusting in Him whether we ever literally see any substance or not! That's faith in its simplest and purest form. Some days, it is faith to just hold on. Other days are bright and it seems that faith comes up effortlessly.

Today just remember that you have faith or you wouldn't even be a caregiver. You would have given up a long time ago if you lacked faith and trust. Encourage yourself by reminding yourself that you do have great faith. We continue keeping our eyes on the Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith  so that we do not lose heart.(Hebrews 12:2) Trust me on this one - you have more faith than you realize...just smile!

Songs of Deliverance

David talked about God encompassing us with songs of deliverance. Sometimes this can take on a very real look in our lives. On those days when we just don't feel like we can put one foot in front of the other He may do just this in some very unusual ways.

You know the drill. A normal day for the caregiver is full of all sorts of challenges that other families don't have to think about. It's full of transfers, feeding and just general care giving specific to the needs of the loved one. And many forget that on top of all the things that caregiving demands we still have to do the normal day to day things too like cook, clean and laundry.Add to our daily regime a sickness or anything else and it can be overwhelming. And that's not even giving considerations to financial aspects! Let's face it, we need His song!

Last night in a dream I actually had a friend singing me a song "she wrote." Now she is not a song writer or even a singer and the song was one I'd never heard (that's why she was teaching it to me lol!). All I can remember is trying to play it on the keyboard and her singing to me about His mercy! When I woke up I felt like this psalm was so true for me today that He had given me a song in the night, and surrounded me with songs of deliverance.

But the other truth that I captured in the night was that His mercies are new every morning. Now He had to have put that in there just for us humans. He doesn't have a "morning" - it's always day, today for Him. We are the ones who need the mornings and the fresh starts! So today think about these scriptures - He surrounds us with songs of deliverance and His mercies are new every morning. That means that this morning we can see His renewed mercies in our lives, and each day they will be brand new mercies to carry us through another day.