Circumstance and Faith

Caregivers can come under fire from the church community and be accused of lacking faith. It's a sad truth,but it does happen. Hopefully, you've been spared from such accusations. It's not the church's fault - they really don't know what to do with us because our situations are very different. Some actually expect us to be able to function just like normal people. But we do not have the liberties that many others enjoy.Lots of caregivers are pretty much stuck at home without the freedom to come and go as we would like. It can be devastatingly lonely at times. And then the church ignores us pretty much...maybe they don't know how little it takes...

How can they say we have no faith since our loved one isn't healed? When Jesus went to the pool of Bethesda  there was a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame and withered. Yet He only healed one of them. Did the entire multitude fall into the ranks of the faithless? I think not. To me they had some measure of faith just to be there waiting for the troubled water...

I propose that those who are in extremely adverse situations have great faith. Come on, give yourself a break, you're still believing in Him and looking to Him as your source aren't you? Then you have faith- you still believe in Him!

As a caregiver no doubt there has been some sort of earth shattering tragedy on some level that has put you in your present circumstance. Isaiah 54:10 says this:

For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,
But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you,
And My covenant of peace will not be shaken,
says the Lord who has compassion on you.

Even when our world is shaken, He is not moved. Even though we cannot live the normal life, He has not forsaken us, He has not moved away (like it seems others have), He doesn't look at how our world fell around us to see if He will stay or not - He cannot be moved! His lovingkindness cannot be moved away from us. And actually, I think that this is what sustains us! Let His lovingkindness under gird you today. Rest in Him, trust Him! He cannot be shaken and is never moved by our circumstances.

Can I Call In Today?

Do you ever feel like that? You know, like back when we had real jobs and we could just call in if we got up in the morning and needed a day off for whatever reason. Caregivers do not have that option. Even if we get a "day" off it takes quite a lot of organizing and planning to make a short escape. And you can't do it too often because others get tired. Hm...

Anyway - after the big Mother's Day activities and all the emotional swings that goes with that I just wanted to call in this morning. But of course I realized that there's no one to call! It just does not happen and it's not available as an option. So we have to make it through another day!

I am so glad that the Lord doesn't need a day off. And as I was wondering how He was going to have the strength to carry me through another day of caregiving, I came across a very familiar scripture. It's in Isaiah 43:1-3. It is a very familiar passage but there is still living comfort in knowing that when we go through the floods and fires that He is with us. He didn't promise anything remotely close to being able to escape fires and floods; but He promised that they could not have us - because He is the One who is passing through them with us!

So come on caregivers - let's pick it up one more day! Take courage and strength for today knowing that He is indeed walking it through with us.

Happy Mother's Day! What are you thinking about today?

Holidays can be more stressful than "regular" days. I'm not sure why but it seems they can many times add some additional stress value to the day! And sometimes it can be that it's just another day for the caregiver and that's what the stress is about. It can be for many reasons and in various areas of life that stress comes at a time that is supposed to e beneficial for families...but for the caregiver it can be just one more thing...

Today is a good day to work on directing our thoughts. We will no doubt spend some of the day in reflections about motherhood or our own mothers. And there can be some wonderful thoughts and memories stored away! But because of the delicate condition of our emotions it can end up with adverse effects. So after thinking and appreciating motherhood take your thoughts back to Philippians 4:8.

Paul told the Philippians to think about the good stuff! He said to keep our minds on what is pure and lovely. The easiest way to do this is to choose a scripture or an attribute of God and keep that at the front of our minds for the day. Sure, our minds will have to wonder around and perform many deeds throughout the day. But make that scripture, thought or attribute the reigning factor of the day and always bring your thoughts back to it. Seriously training our thoughts to stay on the things of the Lord will help our overall emotional and mental condition. In Isaiah 26:3 the Lord says I will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Me. That's my project for today! Will you join me?

Circumstance and Worship

Sometimes in life as a whole we can all get lost in the shuffle from time to time. It's so important especially for the caregiver that we know who we are...it's too easily laid aside as we care for our loved one.

In the temptation of Christ the enemy was attacking who Jesus was. He kept saying if you are the son of God...and Jesus never addressed it - He as always went to the heart of the matter. It wasn't a question to Him, wasn't debatable and evidently not even doubted enough to speak to. He knew who He was period.

The other thing that stood out to me in this morning's reading was that Jesus wouldn't let Satan touch worship. That's when He drew the line and basically said, get outta here!

These are two key concepts for the caregiver. We must  know who we are and we cannot let worship be disturbed. Our situation does not affect who we are...and that's what we must hold on to. Ephesians and Philippians are great for helping us learn a lot about who we are in Him. It is too easy sometimes to try to measure our spirituality by the natural circumstances. But our circumstances do not dictate who we are in Him! We cannot measure spiritual blessings  by natural possessions. What we have or our social status has literally nothing to do with who we are in Christ. Our possessions are not a reflection of His spiritual blessings.

Today concentrate on who you are in Him, and worship Him. Don't let the circumstance have you - you are His.

Ever Feel Like the Energizer Bunny...?

I'm wondering right now if the energizer bunny was on steroids...the commercial always said it keeps going and going... and of course it was advertising long battery life! Well, I'm not on steroids and I'm not really too full of energy but you all know that as caregivers we really don't have any other choice other than to just keep going and going...and going...

What are we supposed to do when we don't feel like going on? There's no choice - we keep going.
What do caregivers do when we get tired but it's morning anyway?  - we keep going.
What if we don't feel like cooking or doing laundry? - we keep going...
And the list of things we do could literally go on forever I think; with transfers, feeding, purchasing incontinent supplies, looking for the best prices online for various supplies, bathing, etc....we just keep going.There's really no time to consider our own needs or how we are feeling, things have to be done for another and we are the ones who must do them.Where do we get the strength to carry on?

Do you ever take a minute to think about all the things that God has to do for us each day? First of all, He keeps us breathing! Jesus said in Matthew that He knows all our needs and that He provides for the lilies and the birds and He'll provide for us as well. Right now I have to believe that this includes providing the strength I need to make it through today.

There are many things that keeps the caregiver going - one of course is the love we have for the person we are caring for. But two things stand out - One that God continues to care for us and never gets tired and Two I look at my son as God's sheep and me the Shepherd charged with his tender care.

When I used to get be involved in prison ministry they used to sing a song and one phrase was and I ain't tired yet! I always reminded them that According to Isaiah 40, God ain't tired yet either! He will not tire of caring for us...and He will not tire of giving us His strength to make another day!

Why Are You In Despair My Soul?

These are the words of a psalmist perhaps he was simply asking himself why he kept finding himself a the point of despair. He asked it several times in two psalms. I don't dare ask myself this question as I could probably take a few minutes to go down my personal list of why I am depressed items! It can be so easy to slip under the load we are carrying. Then it is difficult to climb out to see daylight in our emotions again!

Te psalmist asked himself why are you in despair my soul - then he gave himself the solution - hope in God. The solution has not changed through the years. When we feel we cannot go on one more minute in our situation - our hope is in God. Emotions may be frazzled, strength wasted away, tiredness has set in - and it's only 8 AM....but our hope remains in the God of hope.

He will strengthen us for the journey - and He has not called us to walk it alone. It may feel like a very lonely journey...as people are sparse. But when our brothers, sisters, friends and acquaintances remain at a distance - God will take us up.

Today remind yourself of His unfailing love, and His sustaining strength. Let Him be the help of your countenance (Psalm 42:11) no matter what you face. We understand that the caregiver is not exempt from the regular trials of life just because we have the responsibility of caring for another. We simply have caregiving plus  all the regular trials that come with life. You know - money, bills, food, clothing, doing laundry...and the list goes on. We have exactly the same stuff to do as everyone else and then we have to completely take care of another person too...It's not an easy walk any way you look at it...but we do not have to walk it in despair. We can walk it in His hands...as our souls wait for Him and hope in Him the despair will fade away.

Remember that He cares for that eternal part of us - the part that doesn't die. That's how deep His protection for us runs. And even if our flesh fails...He is the hope of our heart- of our spirit man. And of that He will not let go!

God of Hope

Yesterday I participated in (and finished) a half marathon. After about 9 miles my body was hurting and by 11 miles my feet and toes and back and...pretty much everything was hurting so badly I really wanted to quit. Since it was raining I didn't wear my mp3 player so I had lots of time to think.

The pain was pretty intense and I wanted to stop because of it. This made me think of the caregiver quite a lot. Our entire situation can be filled with intense emotional pain. We have pretty much lost the life we knew to take care of a person we love. Emotions run in many directions from being saddened by our loved one's condition, to the loss of their mobility and independence and the loss of our own to all sorts of painful decisions that must be made almost daily. But like the marathon runner we just cannot stop for the pain.

I think the difference is that there is no finish line  to run towards. It's never really settled, it just goes on. But we keep running anyway. Every day we get up and take care of our loved ones while many (or most) times not meeting our own needs...it's just part of the caregiving race. It can feel hopeless... but it's not.

God is the God of hope. We can gain peace from the truth that He has not left us to run this race alone, He is running it with us. I've always told my son I can't walk it for you but I can walk it with you.  And somehow I feel God does the same for and with us.

This God of peace, comfort and joy is our God and He is traveling this painful road along with us. Romans 15:13 says May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  That's my prayer for the caregiver today - that He will fill us with hope to continue the race life has set before us...and I know He will! Rejoice in His hope today!

Big Shoulders

  One thing that I absolutely love about God is that He has big shoulders. He can handle anything I need to give to Him to carry. God's ...