Daily Devotions for Caregivers

  Do you find it hard to listen to some people? I would be nearly rich if I had $5 for every time someone told me to take care of myself too. A buck or two for every time someone told me I need "to get out more" would go a long way toward reducing my debts. Sad enough, most of these people don't get it. They have no idea what it looks like to try to "get out more" or take a break. Presently, I am canceling a trip I wanted to go on because I just don't have enough people I can pay to do what I do for a weekend. lol. It's just part of our lives, right? It's hard to listen to even well-meaning, caring people who try to help - because they really don't have a clue. These are a few of my thoughts this morning as I read over and over 2 Thessalonians 3:16. The 1995 NLT says this: May the Lord of peace himself always give you peace no matter what happens.  Why did that catch my attention? Because Paul was writing it while sitting in a prison cell, not en...

  Do you have a running list? I'm playing a bit with words because I do have a traditional running list of all my concerns and prayers. But I also have a running list - it's the same one - but I am always running to Him with it. That pretty much sums up my morning. I woke up with lots of things on my heart. Not just caregiving stuff either. The world is in a tough spot. There are so many things to be concerned about. I was praying about all of those and carrying all my personal stuff to Him too. The list of things to pray about seems to be getting longer and longer. But in the back of my mind, I kept thinking of a verse from a Psalm I read often. Verse 5 of Psalm 13 says yet I will trust in His unfailing love.  After a while, I stopped praying about all the concerns, not necessarily because I ran out of them. lol. And I began to think about this phrase - yet I will trust. If we look back at the first few verses of this Psalm, David was in a difficult place and he didn't try...

 There's a song we used to sing as a child, He's Got the Whole World in His Hands.  Remember singing that song and doing hand motions with it when we were little? This little song came to mind this morning as I was reading my Bible. I continued reading in Isaiah for my personal devotions. I love how we can read even familiar passages and find new nuggets He's hidden for us there, don't you? I read over through chapter 49 and this phrase in verse 16 stood out. It says, See, I have written your name on my hand. God was reminding Israel that He had not forgotten them even though bad things were happening all around them. He was telling them that a mother can't forget her nursing child. Those of you who are mothers understand the discomfort of skipping a feeding - you ain't gonna forget that child! But God goes on to say - but if that were possible, I would not forget you! (NLT)  What a great reminder that no matter how good or bad life gets, how difficult the day-t...

  This morning I felt things starting to pile up on me. I'm sure you know those types of mornings, right? Or maybe it's evenings, or afternoons, or anything in between. The duties of the day seemed to be coming for me before I ever got started. After not sleeping well, I woke up tired and just didn't feel like taking on another day. But like all my fellow caregivers, I stood up and stared this day in the face without backing down. Finally, I had an intelligent thought emerging from the emotional wreckage. I began to pray. I told God exactly how I felt, how heavy the load was, and that I wanted to just give up. I must admit that my prayers were birthed from sheer frustration, but nonetheless, in a few minutes, the funniest thing began to happen... My day started feeling lighter. Worry seemed to disappear and my heart and mind had order again. As I began to feel better, I wondered why I wait until I am at my wit's end to give it all to Him. Why do I wait until I can't...

 I found myself in Nahum 1:7 this morning during my personal devotions. I talked mostly about the last portion of the verse in my Facebook Live devotions (Peace Out!) and I'll share that video below. But the more I thought about this little verse in one of the smallest books of the Bible, the more it exploded inside me! The verse simply says The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who trust in Him. ( NKJV) The little verse is nestled right smack dab in the middle of Nahum the prophet's declaration of God's vengeance on His enemies. Thankfully, we are believers and Jesus' blood covers us so we are saved from His wrath!  Here Nahum is declaring the justice of God against evil and yet we find a 3-fold strand of grace. Strand 1. The Lord is Good. God is good, and His goodness doesn't fluctuate. He is good when things go our way and everything is smooth. But He is just as good when things are not going our way and we find ourselves in dif...

  This morning, I was tending to my plants out on my front patio. I always go out in the mornings to move them around so they get optimal sunshine, and I water them. I noticed they had some dead leaves and stems, so I grabbed my scissors and started cutting away. When I finished, I stepped back and thought man, they look so fresh and pretty now! I thought of the scripture where Jesus says that the master gardener prunes the branches so the plant bears more fruit. (John 15) As I gathered the dead bits and pieces I'd cut away, I wondered what things God might want to take out of my life - so that I can be more fruitful for His Kingdom. While I am very willing - I am also a bit hesitant. As caregivers, we often feel such a sense of loss it's hard to cope with the extra knocks of life. Early on in my caregiving years, I discovered this after I'd racked up a large amount of credit card debt. Once I realized I was buying anything and everything I had an unction for to try and mak...

  Do you ever wake up in the morning feeling like you have an extra 9 million things to do on top of the regular 9 million things you do every day anyway? As if caregiving wasn't enough for a day, right? It's easy to feel like we are pulling in so many directions. And, of course, there'll be someone standing off in the distance reminding us to take time for yourself - the caregiver needs care too.   Smh. We sure do - but when? Am I right? It can be so easy to feel overwhelmed. It's an overwhelm that doesn't go away while you're sleeping at night. It just sits there waiting until you get up, then boom. I think it never really goes away on most days. However, there are a few brief reprieves here and there.  Does it ever feel like there are many things vying for your attention? The internet. My clients. My phone. Another text. eMails. Sometimes, even the things we use to cope and get through our days play into our emotional overwhelm.  But there's this one scri...