Prisons and Palaces

 

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 enjoying the luxury of a palace. 

My mind ran away with the phrase no matter what happens. I used it for the foundation of this morning's Facebook Live Peace Out devotions. (See video below.) And I just keep thinking about it. No matter what happens, God's peace is still in our hearts. He doesn't pack up and leave at the first sign of trouble. Lol. That's a funny thought to me because He'd sure have plenty of opportunities to opt-out, wouldn't He?

 As caregivers, we never know what a day will bring or not bring. We can get up with all the best intentions and by 8 the good-attitude rug has been jerked right out from under us. But we are remarkable - because you know what? We just keep running back to Him - even if we do it 100 times before lunch! :-) Am I right?

Encouragement from someone who has or is struggling somehow carries a lot more weight than someone with what appears to be an easy life. Isn't it the struggles of those Bible heroes that make them heroic? Not that they avoided problems. It's more that they endured them and that's why their lives are so encouraging. Even our Prince of Peace, Jesus. Hebrews says He endured the cross because of the joy set before Him. He endured. So can we.

Today, instead of daydreaming about what it would be like to sit on a comfy cushion sipping tea out of fine China in a palace, (lol) I'll remind myself that God is walking through my no matter what with me. I'll be thankful that He didn't, hasn't, and won't run the other way at the sign of difficulty or struggle. Instead, He embraces. He gives peace. He gives strength. He gives grace and mercy. To me. To you. I'll look around at my no matter what today and be thankful that He is here too. Will you join me?

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That Running List

 

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 to hide his sorrow from God. He was asking God how long He would just look the other way. He was pleading with God to turn and answer him. Have you ever felt like God turned His head the other way and you just needed Him to acknowledge where you were and the challenges you were facing? I know I have. 

Yet I will trust...

No matter what's on our list today - we can trust in His unfailing love. As a matter of fact, I'm making it my declaration for the day. As for me - I will trust in His unfailing love. 

Today, I will trust in His unfailing love. When it feels like He's looking the other way - I'll remind myself that He is aware of every little detail that happens on earth and in my life. But I'll also remind myself that all those bajillions of details do not change the Kingdom of God or His reign one iota. He still reigns as king and I will let Him sit on the throne of my heart today. Will you join me?

                                                                                                                                           

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In His Hands

 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-to-days of caregiving may become, God will not forget us. He has our names written (tattooed) on His hand. But wait, there's more!

I continued reading over the next few chapters until I got to verse 16 of chapter 51. Verses 15 and 16 say this: For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea, causing its waves to roar. My name is the Lord Almighty. and I have put My words in your mouth and hidden you safely within My hand. (NLT)

I was like, whoa! Twice in these couple of pages, God has referred to holding His children in His hand. I know I'm one of His children. And I know that many (most) of you who read this blog are His children too! We are in His hand. 

The chorus comes back to mind - He's got the whole world in His hand - including caregivers, our loved ones, our families, and friends. I saw no exclusionary statements pertaining to caregivers. So it's true for us as well.

Today, no matter how good or bad it may seem or feel - I'll remind myself that Chris and I are both in His hands. My heart will be contently resting in His hand as I allow Him to carry me through this day. I will trust that no matter what this day may bring, nothing will be able to remove me from the grip of His grace. So will you join me as we rest in His hand together today?

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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.

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Why do I Wait?

 

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 handle anymore before I bring it all to Him? He is right here, no matter where "here" is for us. His peace is constant, but I can so easily get swept away in emotional craziness. It's easy to get my focus off and onto the busy-ness.  It's too easy to look at what is staring me in the face and forget that He's got my back!

Today, I will switch off the busy-ness and focus on His presence. I'll set my mind on His faithfulness instead of my feelings of lack. My meditations will be on how He can help me instead of focusing on how far short I feel I am. My heart will be on His heart, on His ways, on His ever-abiding presence that is in my "here" to undergird and strengthen me to make today. Will you join me? 

3-Fold Strand of Grace

 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 difficult and trying situations. His goodness doesn't change in response to circumstances. He is good. Always. Every day. In all circumstances.

Strand 2. A Stronghold in the Day of Trouble

I love that when my day (or days) go awry, He is my stronghold. I can run to Him. I can hide behind His grace. I can let Him carry me through the raging rivers of life. We always have a place to run to and it's in Him. He won't tell us that things got too complicated for Him. He'll never tell us He's too busy, too tired, or too anything. He will continue to protect our hearts. He's a stronghold we can trust.

Strand 3. He Knows Who is His

When we declare our trust in Him, we proclaim we are His - He knows just how much we are trusting Him whether it is a little or a lot. God knows us. He knows when we trust Him to get us from day to day in caregiving. He even knows when we hold back those hidden things we don't trust Him with. And because He knows we are His, He patiently waits for us to bring it all to Him as He undergirds us with His strength.

Today, I will take a walk through my own heart to see if there is anything I am not trusting Him with. I'll look around for areas that I am still trying to do in my own strength. My prayer will be for Him to reveal to me anything and everything that I am still holding on to as I commit to trusting Him with it all. Because He knows. My meditations will be on relinquishing my grip and placing all of my cares and concerns into His hand that is gripping me! Will you join me?

 

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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 some of those in print or on Kindle.

Download Poems for Caregivers for free! 

Time for a Trim?

 

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 make the sense of loss go away, I stopped. That was a costly lesson. But now I can stop myself from silly purchases that are just trying to negate the sense of loss. 

We feel lots of losses - from our friends, even family, a "normal" life as we adjust to caregiving. So, to think that He needs to cut something more away - anything at all - it can feel like just another loss that is adding up. 

But here's the thing- He's not going to trim away one thing we need. He won't cut away to the "quick" so to speak. God so gently nips and tucks those empty things and frees us from needlessly carrying them forever. My plants didn't look bare when I was done, even though I thought they might! lol - They actually looked fuller when the dead parts were gone. That's the glory of our Master Gardener tending to us. When he's done, our lives will be fuller because of His work in and for us.

Today, I will yield to Him all my worries, concerns, and burdens. I will purposefully invite Him into the garden of my heart and ask Him to cut away the dead parts. I'll rejoice in knowing that as He works this heart-garden, it will be more beautiful when He's done. With gratitude, I'll welcome Him into my heart and life to create the beauty He sees in and through me. Will you join me?

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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!

#Overwhelm

 

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 scripture that is on my mind this morning. Psalm 61:2 - when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I. David had his moments of overwhelm too. That just makes sense since he was a king running an entire kingdom! In Hebrew, overwhelm is a word that could be translated as shrouded, clothed, faint, hidden, or overwhelmed. Boy, that about says it all doesn't it?

How easily our hearts can become shrouded by our responsibilities and concerns as caregivers. But get this - the next word is lead. Guess what that means in the original Hebrew? It's also a primitive root and it means to guide, transport, bring or lead. When I am too overwhelmed to crawl - God can carry me and my overwhelmed heart to the Rock. He will not leave me stranded wrangling with my emotions or concerns. He will pick me up - with all my woes and transport me into His heart where He protects me, strengthens me, provides for me, and gives me His peace. Wow.

Today, I will wait for Him to pick up this mess I have become and carry me right to His heart. Then, I will hand Him each thing that is on my plate one by one. I'll let Him take me and my overwhelm into His heart will I will listen for its steady beat. If you look for me today - that's where you'll find me. Will you join me?