Daily Devotions for Caregivers

Solid!

This morning for my live Facebook devotions, I shared out of 2 Timothy 2. (See video below!) I talked some about all the crazy stuff going on in the world today. Who knew gas would be nearly $5 a gallon, and more in some regions!?! I'm pretty sure we didn't anticipate baby formula shortages. These and other things going on around the world are enough to shake us all. While I do have a lot of compassion - I'm also a little bit like welcome to our world.

For caregivers, our world is rocky all the time. For me, supplies may come regularly for a while, and then just disappear with me scrambling to fill the gap out of my own pocket. Don't even get me talking about the irregularity of aids who may or may not show up and who may or may not work even if they do! Am I right? lol

Our lives are often topsy-turvey, and we never know what a day is going to bring. The only "constant" in our lives is change. Yet, we adjust. And one reason we can just adjust and keep moving is because no matter what changes occur on the surface of our lives, we are standing on a foundation that is solid and secure.

2 Timothy 2:19 in the NKJV says Nevertheless (which basically means no matter what else is going on - in the world, in our lives, or what is on our plate for the day), the solid foundation of God stands having this seal - He knows those who are His! Man, what a promise to help me get through this bound-to-be-hectic day! Every step I take, no matter what direction, no matter what arena (caregiving, finances, family) will be taken on a foundation that does not and cannot shake or move. I love that.

Today, I'm steppin'! And with every step, I will rejoice that He is holding me up. As I take my walk this morning, and as I go about this getting busier by the minute day, I'll trust His foundation remains under me, continues to hold me up, and will not move. I'll thank Him for knowing that I am His - and for calling me by His name. That makes me smile. I'll wear this smile all day knowing I am His and He's undergirding my steps. Will you join me?

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Short Days

Are the days getting shorter? They must be because I keep running out of time and energy before I'm done! Can you relate? When Chris came home from the hospital a couple of weeks ago, he had to have IV antibiotics three times a day for 10 days. Man, did that stretch my scheduling and organizing abilities! lol But we got it done and yesterday, the nurse removed the med line. I was so relieved! (I'm sure he was too!)

I didn't realize how much hooking up an IV and removing it three times a day would take out of me. Sounds a little bit silly to those who don't understand, right? As caregivers, our days (and nights) are already packed full of tasks and responsibilities. Adding one more might not seem like much, but it is when you are already on overload. (I know you understand!)

Most nights I go to bed feeling like I failed because there is still so much left to do. I've had to change the way I talk to myself though. Instead of beating myself up, I started saying- You maybe didn't finish this or that - but today you did do this, this, that, and something else. It seems to help me give myself a break to look at all I did do for the day rather than rolling all the things I left undone.

I'm pretty sure the days are not getting shorter, I'm just trying to cram more stuff in them. lol. For caregivers, it means facing each day with courage and bravery; short days and the long ones too! :-) It doesn't take bravery or courage to lay on the couch and wallow in self-pity all day, right? Who has time for that anyway! We don't need to be brave when everything is going good and easy. Caregivers must get up every morning (if they got any sleep at all) and face the day with bravery. The good thing is that we are not facing it alone. We have His strength to help us and hold us up.

David said in Psalm27:14 -Wait on the Lord, be of good courage and He will strengthen your heart. We can be courageous because we are not facing the long or short days alone. He is in our today - all day long. And He is in our night - all night long until the next day breaks through the dawn.

Today, I will take courage knowing He is facing the day with me. I'm not walking through the next 24 hours alone. He is walking through the minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years with me. He won't let me go - so I can choose to go bravely into the known or the unknown because He is upholding me! I'll trust Him for the seen and the unseen that may come at me today - will you join me?

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Even in this Place

chris in the standing frame with me beside him

I don't know about your day-to-days, but I know mine can be hectic. Sometimes, even our calmest days can't compare to the "norm." Caregiving is not for the faint of heart! But that doesn't mean we don't have our moments of full-blown breakdowns. No judgment here! Every once in a while, a good cry releases pent-up emotions. It's healthy, actually.

We may feel like we are in a desert place, a wilderness, or secluded from society. Sometimes, we feel surrounded by loving people, but the struggle remains. And honestly, some days I can go from a desert to an oasis, and back to the desert again emotionally - just in a matter of a few minutes, or even seconds. lol. Do you relate?

Here's the thing - no matter where we are - or where we feel we are - God is still working in and for us.

Yesterday, I sat with my guitar and sang for a few minutes. I poured out my heart to Him, and He answered. It was like I was feeling Him bringing restoration, healing, and refreshing right here in my living room. I was in awe. Then, I began to sing a spontaneous song about His love being even in this place. I was a bit overwhelmed to realize He would walk right up to my pain, right up to my heartache, right into my desert. Even in this place - He restores, heals, refreshes, and is present.

Then, I thought of Hagar and how God came to her in the desert when she was feeling alone and without hope. I thought of how Jesus went through Samaria - the forbidden territory - just to meet a woman (of all things) at the well. Why wouldn't He walk into my desert? Why wouldn't He meet me even in this place?

Today, I will remind myself that He chooses to come into my pain. I'll turn my thoughts toward how He chooses to walk with me in the deserts and through the rivers of life. My meditations will be on His presence and how He is right here - wherever "right here" is for each of us. He isn't scared or put off by our circumstances. Instead, He seems invited and comfortable in them. I'll enjoy His presence today - will you join me?

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31 Days in Psalm 31 devotional book cover

Check out my bookstores. I have eBook devotionals, Bible study guides, poetry, and more in my Dove's Fire Ministries bookstore. My Amazon bookshelf has a couple of those in print or on Kindle. My devotional 31 Days in Psalm 31 is all about seeking God from the cave! Check it out!

Plus - check out my live devotions and Bible studies on my Youtube channel!

No Recalls Issued!

Do you ever wonder why there are so many recalls? It seems like it used to pertain just to vehicles. Some little or big part wasn't functioning right and had caused or could potentially cause damage. So they recalled the part and replaced it for free. Over the years, other items were recalled. Things like car seats, blenders, cell phones, and who knows what else! Some sort of manufacturer's defect was discovered and a recall was issued in an attempt to prevent injuring innocent consumers, right?

This morning during my devotions, it hit me that heaven doesn't issue recalls! There's never been a recall on His peace. Jesus told us He was leaving it here for us - and He's not going to take that back! God's love hasn't been recalled. Romans 8 tells us it remains no matter what we walk through - there is literally absolutely nothing that can separate us from His love. And He's not taking that back!

I haven't seen a recall issued on His grace either. His grace remains. It carries us, sustains us, and helps us find Him when we are in trouble. There's never been a recall on mercy either. You see where I'm going, right? There has never been - nor will there ever be a recall issued from heaven. Everything God has ever given us - stands. It will remain throughout time. We can continue to trust His strength, mercy, grace, and love to get us through our days here on earth.

Now, look at this. In Isaiah 41:10 He says Do not be afraid, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you. I don't know about you - but that's a lot! And there will be no recalls - he will continue to strengthen us, help us, uphold us... even today!

So, today, I will remind myself that God is still right here with me. I will turn my thoughts to His ever-abiding presence - and He won't be issuing a recall! My meditations will be on how He sustains me right here, right now. I'll think about how He has "kept" me hidden in Himself and how He will continue to do it. I'll find that peace that comes from understanding that He won't give up, let up, or pull out when things get tough. I'll trust that today - He's right here with me and He's not going anywhere today. Will you join me?

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The Smallest Things

I'm helping Chris stand in the standing frame in our apartment in Norman

I realized a few years ago that I was turning my thoughts into prayers. As thoughts came across my mind, I began to phrase them as questions for God. I turned to asking Him for wisdom, desiring direction, or pursuing answers from His word. When you spend day after day alone with your own thoughts and no one to talk to - it can get a little interesting, can't it?

I talk to God about the littlest and silliest things sometimes. Like how the intricacies of a flower petal are so perfect yet unique. Or how silly a bug looks. But I talk to Him about the big stuff too - like finances, caregiving, and the heavier things on my heart, and the things that trouble my mind. And you know what? He likes it that way! He really does want to hear what's on our hearts. I believe He enjoys us sharing all the little details and big prayer requests as well. Why? It's open communication - relationship.

Sometimes, I wonder if God should be "bothered" with my mental mumblings. But then I am reminded that sometimes, it's the smallest things that help solidify relationships. My BFF and I have been friends for over 50 years and we can talk about anything at any given time! We know each other and no detail is to big or small for us to share. It's part of what makes us friends.

God desires that kind of relationship with us as well, I really believe that. We've missed a lot by thinking that prayer is just taking Him a laundry list of all the things we need. But He wants to hear from us more - and more often. We can bring Him all the big stuff, sure - but we can bring Him all the tiny stuff too!

Today, I will focus more on turning all my thoughts into conversations with God. I'll bring all the big stuff, and the smallest stuff to Him today. I'll let Him sort through what is "important" - because what's really important to Him, I believe, is our communion with Him. So, today I'll "talk His ear off"! Will you join me?

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Emotional Roller Coaster Rides

This morning, I was talking to a friend about emotional health. We were rolling lots of thoughts and strategies around. The topic came up because during my Facebook live devotions (video below), I mentioned I wasn't bragging, but I can go from the apex of wonderful to the valley of despair in as fast las two seconds. I think all caregivers may have those moments. We talk a lot about how difficult caregiving can be logistically and physically. But we often forget how often we deal with emotional roller coasters.

In a given day, hour, or minute even, we can swing from elation to weeping, from crying to joy. Back and forth it goes all day some days. If we are lucky, we land somewhere on solid ground in between. Over the years, I've learned some personal strategies that have started to help me balance emotions out more quickly so that I don't end up in the valley of weeping all day long.

Managing my day as much as possible helps me keep some of the in check. Identifying the boom before the big drop helps me be more proactive. If I can sense the emotional drop coming on, I can change up what I am doing - go for a walk, read a book, watch a movie, sit down for a cup of tea - anything to change up my mood so I don't crash usually helps. I may play the piano or put on some 70s music and dance around the house. I look funny - but I feel better! lol Do you have some strategies you can share?

This all brings to mind the verse in Hosea 2. In verse 15, God says He will turn the Valley of Achor into a door of hope. Achor can be translated as pain, but the NLT translates it as trouble. Either way - no matter what we are going through, God will open a door of hope. If we can work through our emotional adventures (that's a more positive term, right?), we'll see hope open up on the other side. We may need to wipe away a few tears and tilt our head one way or the other - but eventually we will be able to see and experience hope. God will not leave us alone in our pain or stress. He comes to us and stays with us - as long as we need Him.

Today, I declare that I need Him! I have no doubt that I cannot do this caregiving thing on my own and my intense need for help drives me right to His heart. What do we find there, but His heart beating for us. I'll remind myself that He meets us in our moment of need - that moment we know we need Him above all. He holds us. He sings over us. He comforts us. He helps us. He provides for us - on every level from our finances, to health, to emotional support. He is here for us. Say it out loud with me - God is here for me today! I will trust Him for today - will you join me in this pursuit?

My facebook devotions this morning:

Constants vs Variables

I love algebra, maybe because I like a good challenge! As a matter of fact, I loved algebra so much, that I became a math teacher. This morning, I was thinking about how far behind I am with work and how demanding caregiving can be when it comes to organizing time. My mind wandered off to the bills I need to pay, dealing with Chris' health issues, and how to juggle my clients most effectively.

Then I thought about how our lives can be in a constant state of flux. We never know what a day will bring and how fast our circumstances can change. I say this after a week-long unexpected stay in the hospital with my son. What does that have to do with math? I am so glad you asked!!!

Things change - that's the variable. An example of an algebraic equation might be 2x + 4 = 24. (Don't worry- I won't ask you to solve it!) The numbers are constants. That means they will not change, but that little "x"? He is a variable, meaning he could be anything. Variables change. The value of the "x" in this equation is 10. But put that x in another equation and it would have a totally different value. The point is that variables change in value, or they vary. Constants will always be the same, meaning a 2 is always a 2, etc.

But it's that little x that worries people, right? Mostly because it can change. It's easy to spend so much time worrying about things that change that we miss the things that don't. What am I getting at? I'm learning to shift my focus to things that don't change and off of things that do. It can be easy to get caught up in the day-to-day caregiving stuff. And while I need to take care of all those responsibilities, my focus needs to be on things that don't change.

For example - God's love is never going to change. His peace will remain. He continues to cover us and carry us with His grace. His mercy is always here to help in our time of need - and He will remain present...always.

Today, I will shift my focus and my heart from the variables in my life to the constants. I'll direct my thoughts to His presence, peace, and passionate pursuit of my heart. And the second I feel that sense of peace He gives - I'll rest and let Him carry me through the rest of my day. Will you join me?

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Check out my bookstores! Downloadable eBooks are on my DFM website. Print and Kindle books are available on my Amazon store shelf.