Follow Peace

In both letters to the Thessalonians, Paul started out by saying Grace to you and peace from God our father and Jesus Christ our Lord. He knew that their lives were being turned upside down by the opposition they were facing so I think he started his letter by speaking peace over them. Like the caregiver, I'm sure they needed an extra amount of peace.

Caregiving is not thought of as peaceful - even on our best days when things go "as planned." We face numerous decisions and the difficulty is in making them for someone else. Finding peace is not always easy. My Uncle Calvin's go-to advice was always "follow peace." Even though he's been gone home now for many years - I find myself returning to that nugget when I am faced with decisions, especially troubling ones. Sometimes it's easy to sort things out and determine the most peaceful solution; other times it just ain't happening!

If we as caregivers need anything - I'd say it's peace. Without peace we

can't make decisions

can't enjoy life

can't enjoy others

can't sleep

can't eat

Peace is a necessary component of our lives and yet it can seem so far away. In the craziness of a day it can be difficult to remember that the God of peace lives right inside us. We already have access to His peace. The trick is following it  or letting it  rule our hearts.

The Thessalonians are not the only group of Christians that Paul ministered peace to. He said to the Roman Christians:  Now the God of peace be with you all. (Romans 15:33) He also spoke to the Corinthians about the God of peace in 2 Corinthians 13:11 Paul said: Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace and the God of love and peace will be with you.  Fact is - he started or ended nearly every one of his letters to the churches speaking of the peace of God. 

I pray that everyone reading this blog today will be overwhelmed by His peace. And I pray that you will allow His peace to reign. Sometimes His peace comes and it doesn't make sense to have peace so we dismiss it - today I hope we will all embrace His peace.

Today I will meditate on the truth that God (and His peace) is with me - and is in me. I will purposefully yield myself to His peace and let it rule in my heart. I won't listen to the craziness around me - I will concentrate on yielding to His peace. Will you join me?

Great Generic Prayers for Caregivers

The Thessalonians lived in turmoil, conflict, tribulation and trials. The caregiver journey can be one which is very trying too. Our days are filled with activities beyond what "normal" families deal with. Many of us have to basically do everything twice; once for our loved one and then for ourselves. This is especially true for those who require total care. It can mean you get a shower, get dressed and eat breakfast; and you have to get another adult showered, dressed and fed as well. And if they have any sort of special diet it means making two separate breakfasts, lunches, suppers and snacks throughout the day. No matter what your caregiving journey looks like - it's not easy.

It can be difficult for people to know how to pray for caregivers. What is it that we need? (A break - we all say in unison!*smile*) Physical help is not always feasible even when people care about you and your situation greatly. And it can be very difficult to know how to pray for the caregiver. 1 and 2 Thessalonians has some scriptures that I like to call "generic prayers." These are fitting for anyone in any situation. We all need them! These are the things that Apostle Paul prayed for the Thessalonians who were going through some very rough times. While I'm speaking specifically for praying for caregivers, these are good - use them for everybody prayers! You can pray that:

God establishes their hearts before Him (I Thess. 3:13)

the God of peace sanctifies them completely, 

and preserves them body, soul and spirit (I Thess. 5:23)

God fulfills His good pleasure in them,

and completes the work of faith with power

He is glorified in them according to His grace (2 Thess.1:11-12)

God comforts their hearts and establishes them

in every good word and work. (2 Thess.2:16-17)

God directs their hearts into His love and into the patience of Christ(2 Thess. 3:5)

God will give them peace always in every way (2 Thess. 3:16)

As a caregiver I find just reading these scriptures encouraging. We did not lose our desire to be holy before Him or to be complete in Him when we became caregivers. There's no button to push to turn off the desire to love Him with all our heart, body, soul, mind and strength. But it can get very cloudy from a caregiver's point of view. Somehow these scriptures, whether prayed or read help clear my view of Him. They help bring peace and hope back into my heart. They are great scriptures to use to pray for caregivers and anyone else for that matter. 

Today I am going to meditate on these scriptures from Thessalonians. As I meditate on His word I'm going to let them melt away the turmoil and allow His peace to reign in my heart. I'll turn my thoughts to what He has done for me - not toward my situation. And I will rejoice that His thoughts and plans for me did not change when I became a caregiver. Will you join me?

The Word at Work

As I sat down for my morning devotions over the weekend I found myself in 1 Thessalonians. One thing I noticed about both first and second Thessalonians is that Paul starts them both out mentioning the afflictions, trials, tribulations, and turmoil the church was going through. But even after acknowledging the conflicts and troubles the Christians were facing Paul offered some comforting words.

In the last part of 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Paul states:  the word of God which effectively works in you who believe. He did not make it seem like they didn't  believe just because they were facing troubles and trials. He actually encouraged them by acknowledging the fact that they are still believers and the Word still works in them.

Sometimes "church people" can make it seem like if you are in a trial or tribulation you do not believe or at least you don't have faith. Paul indicated no such thing here to the Thessalonians. You know, it's not like Holy Spirit packs up and moves out when the going gets tough! He never looks around and says something like, "I don't recall this being part of the package - I'm outta here!" Holy Spirit lives in  us and He's in it for the long haul.

Ephesians 3:16 says that we are strengthened with might through His spirit in the inner man. We gain strength from His residence in us. He won't jump ship when the going gets tough - He'll never leave us stranded. We can gain strength today knowing that Holy Spirit and the Word are both working inside of us no matter what we face; no matter what we feel.

Today I will meditate on the truth the HE lives IN me. I'll turn my thoughts to the fact that no matter what type of struggle or trial is staring me in the face today - He will walk through it with me and He is working in me in the midst of the storm. Will you join me?

Fighting the Downward Spiral

For caregivers, emotions can run on edge. Oh, eventually we adjust to the hectic life and can hold it together through all the basic stuff. We really don't have much of a choice so we get used to aides not showing up, not getting enough supplies, and advocating for our loved one on a daily basis. The daily chores become routine as do all the things we have to get done to care for another person. For some of us that basically means you do everything twice because they need total care. We adjust, figure out we are still alive, and we even learn to laugh again. And then something happens.

We get used to the craziness and then a vehicle breaks down, the hot water heater malfunctions or we get sick. It really doesn't take too much because we run on overload. For me personally it can mean the emotions go toward that downward spiral. Even though there are some strategies that I've learned to use to help prevent me from bottoming out - it is a difficult fight and each step "back up" takes every bit of energy that can be mustered.

In times like these I think of David and of one scripture in particular: David encouraged himself in the Lord. (1 Samuel 30:6) And like the caregiver, he had to -- no one else was around! David had been anointed king but had instead faced a multitude of troubles. He had a lot on his plate at this time since his own had rejected him, he was running from Saul, had joined in with "the enemy" (Philistines), and they didn't trust him to fight with them. THEN the Amalekites came in and tore up Ziklag and took all the women and children. David was just a little bit upset. Like the overloaded caregiver, he already had enough on his plate. But he stopped the downward spiral and encouraged himself in the Lord. 

If my sources are correct, David wrote Psalm 16 while facing the struggle at Ziklag. He starts out with a prayer for God to preserve him  and then declares that he will trust the Lord. I'd say that's a great place to start each day. He says things like:

You are my portion

I will bless the Lord

I have set the Lord always before me

I will not be moved (because He is at my right hand)

It sounds to me like David knew how to reach down, up or around and find his source and supply in God. I think two things that stick out to me today as I fight the strong pull of the downward spiral are in verses 9 and 10. In verse 9 David says My flesh will rest in hope.  I really like that! And in the next verse he says You will not leave my soul in Sheol. I'm going to take that to mean for me that God will not leave my soul in turmoil and anguish. To encourage himself, David looked toward God first and then reminded himself of the role God played in his life. Verses 7-8 line that out pretty well. Here David says:

I will bless the Lord

I will set Him before me

I will not be moved

Then in verse 9 he says therefore my heart is glad and my  glory rejoices - and  I will rest in hope.

Today I will meditate on who God is to me and I will rest in hope. I will set my mind on the truth that He is with me and He has not and will not abandon my soul (mind, will, emotions). I will try to see myself in His hand; in His heart today. I will also be reading this psalm over and over today. Will you join me?

After all That?

We are finally at the end of Psalm 119! I've said before that I really enjoy this psalm I'd encourage you to take the time to read it again and again. David's heart is revealed in this psalm. We see him on the mountain rejoicing to broken and deep sorrow. But overall it reveals  a heart that is seeking the ways of God.

I find the final verse of this chapter very interesting. After all the seeking and longing after God the last verse says: I have gone astray like a lost sheep. What is that? All of this talk of praising God, longing after His ways and His word and you go astray? It was just a few verses ago in v. 165 that he said Great peace have those who love Your law and nothing shall offend them. How can I love the word, be offence-less and then go astray? It happens.

Thankfully, David didn't leave it hanging like that - his next phrase (or perhaps prayer) is Seek Your Servant. After penning 176 verses about how he is seeking God, he is asking God to seek him. I like that! When we are seeking God with all of our hearts - looking into His word for guidance and direction; and we accept His strength for the journey - all we need is a glance from Him. What peace it brings just to know he is looking our way. We are not politely ignored!

It's so easy to get lost in the shuffle even when we are seeking Him. Sometimes I need Him  to find me!

Today I will meditate on the truth that He is seeking me with more intensity than I am seeking Him! I'll consider how much He values me that He would come looking for me on those days I just don't have the strength to try. I'll enjoy His embrace today...will you join me?

Breath of Life

You can probably tell by now (assuming you're still reading) that I like Psalm 119. It's the longest chapter in the Bible but it is so rich. Today we'll look at verses 153 to 160. David starts out with a plea for the Lord to consider his affliction. Ever felt that way? There are times we can feel very loved and watched over and the next thing you know we feel like He's packed up, moved away and left us to ourselves. (or maybe that's just me!) David must have felt some of those emotions to ask God to consider him once again.

Something that seems to stand out in these few verses is David's request to be revived once again. It's noticeable throughout the entire chapter but three times in this passage he asked for the lord to revive him.

revive me according to Your Word (v. 154)

revive me according to Your judgments (v. 156)

revive me according to Your mercy (v. 159)

It makes me think that David didn't care what means God used to do it -- he just needed to be revived! Boy, can the caregiver relate to that on some days.Our cry can easily become "give me life!". There are days when the Word seems to be beamed down from heaven straight into our hearts; and days it feels like we couldn't hear God speak if He used an audible voice. But no matter what it feels like on any given day, the word is life. (John 6:63) When we give our attention to seeking Him and His word, it brings life to our soul whether we see it, feel it or not. It goes directly into our hearts and feeds our faith - even when our flesh feels like we are in a major disconnect. 

Caregivers tend to be survivors - we can't help it, really. It becomes our very nature over time if it wasn't before we began the caregiving journey. But sometimes we have to admit we cannot do it ourselves. One thing I've heard myself say is that caregiving has shown me how strong I am; but it has equally revealed my weaknesses. We must learn to trust in Him - more than we trust ourselves.We have to become more dependent on Him and trust Him to breathe His life into us through His word.

Today I will meditate on His word and think about how it breathes life into my spirit. I'll pray for His strength to make the next part of the journey no matter what it brings; and I will rely on His strength instead of my own. Will you join me?

Mercy's Filter

I don't know many caregivers who wouldn't pay for a good night's sleep. Personally, it's not too bad for me overall but for short periods of time I may have to get up during the night. Early on I secured a mattress that helps prevent bed sores which means I don't have to turn my son every 2 hours. It really helps when we can get chunks of sleep like 4-6 hours at least. But then there are still those nights usually several in a row when I am disrupted throughout the night. Usually on top of just having to get up during the night there are other issues occurring like illness or discomfort to address.

David says in Psalm 119:148-149:  My eyes are awake through the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word. Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness... I must say that when I am up during the "night watches" it's not always so I can meditate on the Word. In fact, it's never so I can meditate on His Word. You really don't want to know the kinds of things I think or say when my sleep is disrupted. But I can promise that my prayers are not always pure at 3 in the morning. I'm usually concerned for my son and so my prayers may sound more like yelling at God things like, "Where are You now?" or "Can You even hear me?" I have crazy thoughts like  can you see me? Have You even noticed my situation? Do You have any answers? Is there any hope?

...just bein' honest.

But the psalmist also prayed for the Lord to hear me according to Your lovingkindness or mercy. I pray that God hears my cries for help through His mercy and not from my desperation. Perhaps He filters my earnest anguished thoughts through mercy's filter. I really believe He does. When we are at our most desperate point - He looks at us through mercy not disdain. He sees we are desperate - He knows we need Him. And He extends His mercy every time.

The last portion of verse 149 reads this way: revive me according to Your justice. David is asking God to hear me and revive me. This is my prayer today.

Today I will meditate on how He extends His mercy even to me! I'll think about how He filters my cries through His mercy and revives me by breathing His life into my being. Will you join me?