Daily Devotions for Caregivers

Do you ever have one of those days where it seems like everything sends you off the emotional edge? Sometimes as caregivers it's nearly every day as we tend to live on the edge emotionally. It's called being on overload. We typically live in that state until it becomes the norm for us. There are times when it's worse than others. Little things become huge boulders standing in the way of peace. Later, sometimes much later, it can seem comical. A shoe coming untied, dropping a fork while trying to eat, or forgetting to push "on" to start the coffee pot are all minor things. But for those of us on overload, it can send us on a downward spiral. For me, sometimes, it's a picture of Chris before his wreck or hearing some of the music he used to write. Maybe finding a handwritten note from him from years ago. What is it for you that cause tears to well up in my eyes and a lump to block your throat? It's not often much. During those difficult times when emot...

This morning I read through Ecclesiastes. I'm not sure what I was looking for but it came to mind and I read it. While several things stood out to me, I guess I found what I was looking for in the last few verses of the book. During his final thoughts, the king said this, Here is my final conclusion: fear God and obey His commands, for this is the duty of every  person. (Ecclesiastes 12:13 NLT) I began to think about what that meant for me in my situation. As caregivers, it can feel like life played us a harsh hand. But, we are still in the game. There's a lot on our plate from the time we wake up until the time we go to bed. Many times there's no sleep due to duties during the nighttime hours as well. I have felt bad because I couldn't be "as faithful" to the church as I was in days BC. (Before Caregiving) It's easy to feel pressured to measure up to what others think and often I feel like I don't do enough. Maybe that's why this scripture s...

Caregiving has a way of knocking you around a bit. Even when things are going good it can seem like the littlest things suck the wind out of you.I've spent my days wondering where God was, if He could help me. So, this morning while reading in Jeremiah, I found this question. It caught my attention because I've asked it and I've seen it in scriptures a couple of other places. The one big question is this: Where is God? I've looked at this question in scriptures before. My first study involved Gideon in Judges 6 and the children of Israel in Exodus 17. I noticed they both  asked the same question. When Gideon asked it during the encounter with the angel he got the response go in this your strength. It was like the question was right and approved of. But when the children of Israel asked where is God  in Exodus 17 (also mentioned in Psalm 95), it was considered testing the Lord. Same question - totally different response from God. So, this morning I was surprised to...

I've discovered that caregiving is a long series of ups and downs. Some battles are won and others are lost. The real battle is dealing with the emotions during the downs. I also know these hills and valleys can come in waves right after one another often in just a day, or an afternoon. It's crazy. So, what are we to do when it starts looking like we've lost a few of them right in a row? Firstly, as caregivers, we know there is no quit.  No time for that for sure. So we just keep putting one foot in front of the other as we wipe our eyes. There isn't a good place to stop and life ain't gonna wait for us to get it together now is it? It's just the way it is, and we must accept it. Or do we? I'm thinking there's a balance between dealing with the hand life deals us each day, hour, or moment and trying to keep our heads above water. For me, I have to deal realistically with whatever my son will do in a given day without drowning. It may just be me. Th...

It's a little past 10 in the morning and already I feel like my day is wasting away out of my control. There are so many things on my to-do list it's overwhelming. It's so easy to feel like there's just no way to get ahead. Maybe it's just me... We live in a very busy society but for caregivers, it can see our tasks are lined up in a never-ending line. Some days I am very excited to get to half the things I need to get done. Other days, I force myself to be happy with the 2 or 3 finished tasks. Caregiving itself provides us with ample tasks each day. For me, this means transfers, preparing food, feeding my son at meals,  doing range of motion exercises, standing him, bathing, and various other daily tasks. Of course, there's also all the daily chores like laundry, dishes, and cleaning. And then if you work from home... you see where I'm going? There really  is a lot to do each day. Overwhelming doesn't even seem to cover the description, does it? T...

I so enjoyed Psalm 31 yesterday so I decided to swim around in it again today for my morning devotions today. Actually, I have an outline now for a devotional called 30 Days in Psalm 31.   Hopefully, it won't take me long to get it together. There's just so much in this one little psalm. It's got all the right elements trust, raw emotions, rejection, social isolation, fear, prayer, declarations, and faith. Does it seem like to you that we can vacillate so easily from faith to fear and back again? For caregivers, it's all in a day's work. One minute we're on top of the world feeling like we've got it all together and the next, we are in the bottom, alone, grieving, and afraid. I think it may just be me until I read a psalm like this where the psalmist lays it all out too. One second he's declaring I will trust in the Lord and the next he's sobbing my eyes are wasting away with grief.  How often do we face days like that? I know I trust God, there...

Time intrigues me and I have studied it a lot. Quantum physics fascinates me although I must say I don't understand it. I'm a very casual student of it. Casual in that I don't dive too deep into it at all - but I still find it fascinating. I actually try to avoid the subject because I can get deep into it and lose hours of my day. lol. But during my private devotions this morning, there it was again. In Daniel 2, the king requested an interpretation to a dream and God gave the dream and interpretation to Daniel. Since it was a life or death situation, Daniel and his friends were praising God for deliverance when Daniel said, And He changes the times and the seasons  (v.21 NKJV). I was like times ? When did it become plural? I was also reminded of a phrase I had seen in the psalms and found it in Psalm 31. David says my times are in Your hands in Psalm 31:15. Personally, this is a statement of trust - saying to God that whatever comes while I am walking this journey th...