Daily Devotions for Caregivers

 If you've read along with me over the years, you know I frequently take a run through some of my favorite verses and passages. I trust you know them and love them as well as I do. One such passage that gets frequent flyer miles from caregivers is Psalm 61. Maybe it's because we feel overwhelmed often, or that we need the reminder to just keep running to our Rock. This morning, I was up early trying to catch up on some of last week's projects, and I just started feeling overwhelmed. Along with all the things I need to get done today, I have some things leaking over from last week. Chris got a blessing last week as Medicaid finally approved a SmartVest for him. Such a blessing, but it also takes another hour or so out of each day. (Definitely not a complaint, just a statement - and I know you understand.) I just want to "clock out" for a little bit. But it seems like even a few moments of relaxation can make the pile of responsibilities taller and more difficult to...

This morning, after reading several passages about peace to prepare for my live devotions, I landed in a familiar place. There I sat, sipping my coffee and reading Philippians 4:13 over and over again. Most of us memorized it as a kid. It's one of those that we pull out when our lives get out of hand, right? I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.  That, along with Romans 8:28, are believers' go-to scriptures for all things we don't understand.  I backed up and read the few verses before verse 13 to remind myself that Paul was talking about his life. He was explaining that he'd seen times of plenty and times of lack; he'd had great needs and abundance. I thought about how that might relate to caregiving. We have times when we are flying high, and things seem to be going well. Then we have times that we can feel like we are at the bottom of life, trying to resurface for a breath. The funny thing for caregivers is that these emotional highs and lows ...

  This morning, I skipped through a bunch of the Old Testament Minor Prophets. A lot of people avoid reading them. Usually, it's because they are difficult to understand. Some of them were speaking of their current events, and to a people we don't really understand. Others consider the OT harsh and have a hard time grasping some of it. Of course, prophetic utterances like we see in the OT can be quite puzzling too. But I love them!  Throughout Isaiah and Jeremiah, there are some pretty harsh sayings. Jeremiah cries out for God's people to repent and warns them of impending judgments. Isaiah prophesies in riddles, but we can see he talks about the coming Messiah, etc. Ezekial hardly makes any sense at all for most of us. Then there are the minor prophets Nahum, Micah, etc. They are short, sweet, and somewhat confusing. But there are some real treasures in there for those who have the gumption to dig! So why do I love reading them? I think it's because throughout all of t...

I hope you are surrounded by people who tell you how wonderful you are. I pray that you have family and friends who lift your hands for you when you are tired. I hope you have someone close to you who can tell you how beautiful you are and how much you look like Him. Hopefully, you have someone to encourage you when you need it. Someone who will tell you that you are doing a great job when you doubt yourself. That's what I hope. But the reality is that many caregivers find themselves in a caregiver's cave . They feel alone on the journey. Friends and family distance themselves (or so it seems) because they don't know what to do to help, or they simply don't want to, sadly.  Job's friends got off course, eventually. But when they first came to Job after hearing about his situation, they sat and said nothing for 7 days. How affirming that must have been for them to just be there. Some may have plenty of people who encourage, uplift, and affirm them. But for those who ...

 Do you ever just read along in your Bible and have a phrase just jump off the page at you? That happened to me this morning. I was reading in Ephesians 6 about the armor of God. Paul said to put it on. In verse 13, Paul tells the believers to Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil so that after the battle,  you will still be standing firm. (NLT) I've probably read this passage 100 times or more. I've taught from it, studied it, and meditated on it. But those three words leaped off the page as I read through it once again.  After. I sometimes wish this verse read that if we put on all of God's armor, we can avoid  the battle. lol. You know that passage where Jesus tells Peter that the enemy desired to sift him like wheat ? (Luke 22). What did Jesus go on to tell Peter? But I have prayed for you. Jesus goes on to say He prayed for Peter that his faith wouldn't fail  - and that after  he repents and is restored, he would go on ...

  I've shared my own personal struggles with rejection and abandonment. As I've aged and started closing in on those senior years, it's become much less of an issue. Most of it has been due to God's faithfulness to heal and protect the soul. Some of the progress is due to having a fuller picture of life from this side of the "hill." But as a caregiver, it can be easy to feel like life itself has abandoned you and left you on the backside of the desert. Of course, not every moment feels that way, but there are those days... This morning, during my personal devotions, I found myself in Psalm 94. I gleaned a lot from this Psalm this morning and shared a different verse in my FaceBook Live devotions. (See the video at the bottom.)But personally, I got stuck in a good way in verse 14. The New Living Translation says, The Lord will not reject His people; He will not abandon His own special possession. There are three key points in this little verse tucked away in Ps...

  This morning, I was just outside my apartment and noticed that the grass is brown and crunchy. This is not uncommon during hot, dry summers like the one we are having here in Oklahoma. I found myself wanting to encourage the grass because I've seen the forecast and rain - lots of it is due later this week. I was like - just hang on, you'll be green again soon. Even though the grass is terribly brown - like the middle of the winter brown, it will brighten up and be green with just a little bit of rain. It won't be long until it's vibrant again. I thought about how wonderful that will be. Then, since I'm the question queen, I started wondering about how in the world it can appear so dry and dead and then revive again. It hit me that it's the roots. I cannot see the roots because seeing through things isn't one of my superpowers. Lol. But basic science has taught me that an intricate root system mirrors most of what we see on top of the soil. It's working...