ReGroups

 One of the things about caregiving is that it is so constant. Even if you take a "break" (whatever that is), you're still on call in case decisions need to be made or the interim caregiver needs information. Of course, some days are better and easier than others, but all in all, it's a constant thing. There is a daily need to reinvent yourself to take on the chores and tasks for each new day. And you know what? That's okay. Because it forces us to run back to His mercies that are new every single morning - for our benefit, not His!

Each day we get up with a full plate. Hopefully, we got to sleep that night, as sometimes that's not a given, either. But God is always there to greet us. I have this picture of Him watching us sleep like all parents do. He's so excited when we awaken to a new day with Him, even if it's one He may need to carry us through. He patiently does that time and time again.

Maybe if life was all smooth sailing, we wouldn't need Him so much. Maybe the storm is what drives us to seek Him as our shelter. We don't "need" a shelter without a storm, right? While I don't like the storm, I don't care for all the uncomfortable things about caregiving, but I am thankful that they have driven me deeper into His heart. Are you?

Today, I'll take my eyes off the pressing storm and think about how safely I am hidden in Him. Even though my heart hears the thunder rolling and sees the lightning flashing, I'll rest in Him because I know that His heart is the safest place on earth. Will you join me?

All the Feels

 This morning as I was preparing for a Bible study class I attend on Monday nights, I found myself in 1 Kings 18. I've always loved the stories of Elijah and Elisha, and I've read this account many times. Elijah has been sent by God with a message for evil king Ahab. He meets Obadiah along the way. Verse 3 tells us that Obadiah feared the Lord greatly, which doesn't mean he was afraid of God, but that he served Him. Obadiah was returning from hiding 100 of God's prophets when he encounters Elijah.

In chapter 18, we can read the amazing story that has been shared many times about how Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal, and God sent fire down from heaven to consume Elijah's sacrifice. But that made Jezebel and Ahab mad and probably a little bit uncomfortable. Well, no one likes to lose, right? lol. After this great victory, Elijah runs to the cave to hide. Why would he fear humans after witnessing such a miraculous sight? But we find him in a cave (v. 9) and feeling alone. God asks Elijah what in the world he was doing there. And Elijah says he'd been zealous for God - but now I alone am left. 

Here's the thing - he wasn't alone - even though he felt like he was. He had talked to Obadiah recently, and there were at least 100 prophets of God out in the other caves. But as it all came crushing in on him, he felt alone. 

As caregivers, we can feel like we live alone in a cave sometimes. But just like God came to Hagar, in verse 9, God came to Elijah. He asked Elijah what he was doing there in the cave. God proceeds to take Elijah out to the mountain and again asks him what he is doing there. Elijah responds again, I am alone. Even after witnessing miracles and hearing directly from God - Elijah felt alone. 

I enjoyed reading this story again because it reminded me that just like God came for Hagar, the woman at the well, the blind man after he was kicked out of the temple, and now for Elijah - God will come for me. He will remind me that I'm not alone. No matter how alone I may feel - God is here to ask me about it. 

Today, even though I may feel alone, I'll remind myself that God is right here. He walks right into the caregiver's cave where I have barricaded my heart and my emotions. And He says, Why are you here? But even in the question - I remind myself that He is "here" too. And I can trust Him to be with me for one more day. Will you join me?

                                                                                                                                           

If you enjoy these devotionals, I have others! I've expanded my bookstore on Amazon. My devotionals are available in Kindle or print format. The new Bible study guides are now available on Kindle and in print! Check out my growing bookstore: 

I also recently opened my own bookstore. I'm presently filling it up with my books - check out the ones I have available in eBook format. You can download them and read them on your phone! Dove's Fire Ministries Bookstore.

If It's All the Same to You

 I've studied time for years now, and I'm fascinated with it. I'd really like to understand more about how God sees time because our view of it is quite limited. I wonder what time looks like from eternity's viewpoint. For now, it'll just be a lot of thoughts running around in my head. Yesterday, I saw something that reminded me that there are 1440 minutes in each day. There's no way to manipulate that number up or down.

While I think it'd be nice for caregivers to get a few more minutes than everyone else, we just don't. Everyone, rich or poor, believer or unbeliever, old or young, and male or female, gets the exact same amount of time to work with each and every day. It's the only true level playing ground we have in the world, meaning no one can get more, and no one gets less. We all have to live our days out 1440 minutes at a time.

At first, we may think we don't know a lot about time. But we know that time is in His hands. And we know that He chose to put us right here at this point in time. He could have put us later or earlier  - but here we are trying to survive 2022! lol. We also know that although God walks through time with us, He is not limited by it. Personally, I'm so glad that though God is eternal and dwells in eternity - He chooses to walk through time with us. He chooses to be involved with us. I love that.

So, this great, magnificent, eternal being chooses to spend 1440 minutes with us each day. He doesn't spend more time with you than He does with me and vice versa! We all have the exact same opportunity to spend our days and even the long nights leaning on Him and listening for His breath. That's cool.

Today, I will remind myself that He is present in time with me. I'll meditate on the truth that no matter how I spend my time, He is right there, and He's not going anywhere, either. My thoughts will be on how He longs to be with us (because that still sort of blows my mind), and chooses to be here with us when He could get lost in His Kingdom and never even glance our way. Instead, He walks through time with us, listening for our hearts too. My heart overflows with gratitude toward His lovingkindness and careful watching over our souls. I think I can trust Him for 1440 more minutes, will you join me?

                                                                                                                                    

If you enjoy these devotionals, I have others! I've expanded my bookstore on Amazon. My devotionals are available in Kindle or print format. The new Bible study guides are now available on Kindle and in print! Check out my growing bookstore! 

I also recently opened my own bookstore. I'm presently filling it up with my books - check out the ones I have available in eBook format. You can download them and read them on your phone! Dove's Fire Ministries Bookstore.

Spinning Plates

Do you ever feel like life is a juggling act? I remember seeing performers whose greatest skill was spinning plates. They ran back and forth, working to keep the plates all spinning at once. Some days, caregiving feels like that. Lol. I know you know the drill. Feeding, transferring, dressing, bathing, walking, therapies, and the list just goes on and on. Lately, I've learned that it's okay if a plate or two hit the ground. Sometimes, it's physically impossible to keep every single plate spinning at a high enough rate of speed. One is going to fall. 

Having so many things that must be done every single day is definitely not easy. Most days - it gets done. One thing is for sure, I haven't died yet if I let one or two things slide every now and then for my mental health's sake. Of course, there are things that cannot be skipped like medications, treatments, and just getting up. But I'm learning that some things can wait. I won't die if I sit down for 5 minutes, and neither will Chris. An afternoon cup of tea is often a gift I can give myself.

Most days for caregivers are lived in full-throttle mode. I mean, we are caring for another whole individual. We basically do everything twice. We dress ourselves. We dress them. We feed ourselves. We feed them. We get up and go to the living room. We get them up and put them in a chair or help transport them to the living room. We bathe or shower ourselves. We bathe them. And that goes on and on, all day long, until we tuck them into bed at night and head for bed ourselves.

In between, there are many other things to be done, like cooking, cleaning, or working from home. I just made myself tired thinking about it. 

We always have a choice. In the midst of the spinning plates, we can become anxious and frustrated. Or we can choose to take the plates down every now and then, stack them neatly, and hand them to Him. We can even continue trusting Him while spinning our plates. We can trust that He will guide our hands in each task we undertake. We can give Him the crazy thoughts that go along with spinning plates. And we can rest in Him while the plates are spinning. 

Today, while I am spinning my plates, I will take a deep breath and trust Him to help me balance it all out. I'll trust Him to help me choose which plates need to keep spinning and which ones can be set aside for a while. Even though I'm busy with the must-dos of the day, I will rest my heart in His. Will you join me?

Fast as a Blink

 

I've bragged about it before, but I can go from happy-go-lucky, great attitude to a bundle of emotional tears in less than a second! Sometimes, we talk about caregiving without realizing the emotions that are attached, but they are certainly part of the package. And one we cannot often ignore. They will sneak up on us from time to time. Grief is part of caregiving, whether we are grieving over a parent who is slowly slipping away or a child whose dreams were crushed by tragedy, or dreams that never were in the first place. 

Grief can slowly ooze in and take over, or it can sneak up on you, and BAM! This morning, I stepped outside to tend to my plants. School starts back today for many schools in the area. As soon as I opened the door to step out onto my front patio, I heard the drumline practicing. It hit me so hard since my son was a drummer from the age of 8. Scenes of watching him march and play rolled through my mind as I crumbled into a pile of tears. Will those things ever stop hurting so badly?

Living grief is so real for many of us. I dealt with it with my mom as dementia slowly took her away from us. Her body was here for us to hug and love, but she wasn't who she used to be. It's the same with my son. Thankfully, I have lots of beautiful memories with him. But who he used to be was taken away in the blink of an eye. One missed driving calculation, and 14 years later, he's just learning to walk again. Even though I watched him march with expertise all those years ago. 

By choice, I have taught myself to rejoice in progress, no matter how small. I heard a phrase early on, progress is progress. I live by that because it doesn't matter how little it looks or how slow it feels; progress is indeed progress. I think spiritually, it's the same. If I trust Him a little more today - no matter what - it's still progress. If I run to Him a little faster when emotions hit, it's still progress. If I wipe my tears and declare one more time that my heart will trust in Him. It's still progress.

Today, I will thank Him for walking this journey with me. I'll ask Him to show me ways I trust Him more and areas where I am quicker to turn to Him. I'll also ask Him to show me areas where I've been holding back and trying to make it on my own without Him. (Isn't that silly?) Today, I'll look back over the years and thank Him for carrying me to this point. I'll rejoice in progress made, no matter how small it seems. Because any progress at trusting our big God is still progress. Will you join me?

                                                                                                                                           

If you enjoy these devotionals, I have others! I've expanded my bookstore on Amazon. My devotionals are available in Kindle or print format. The new Bible study guides are now available on Kindle and in print! Check out my growing bookstore: 

I also recently opened my own bookstore. I'm presently filling it up with my books - check out the ones I have available in eBook format. You can download them and read them on your phone! Dove's Fire Ministries Bookstore.

When Two Seekers Meet

 

Jesus told us to seek first the Kingdom of God. Jeremiah told us that when we seek Him, we will find Him. But as I have been studying lately, I'm finding that God was the first seeker. He came looking for Adam right after they sinned in the Garden of Eden. Where are you, Adam? He found Moses on the backside of the wilderness and called him to deliver the Children of Israel. We've talked many times about Hagar and how the angel of the Lord found her. 

I've been studying the woman at the well. Jesus had to go through Samaria, He told His disciples. Why? To find a nameless woman by a nameless well. He shared with her that He was the source of living water and that He was indeed more than a prophet - He was the Messiah. 

Then, this week, I found another "find" in the scriptures, and it blew me away. How have I missed this one? It's in John 9. I love this story of how Jesus healed the blind man. It's a great read! Eventually, the religious zealots kicked the formerly blind man out of the temple. It wasn't because he was healed, but because he asked them if they wanted to be disciples of Jesus too. In verse 35, John says, When Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and when He had found him...

He went looking for a man religion had discarded. Jesus purposefully sought the formerly blind man out and shared with him the full gospel. Verse 38 says, then he worshiped Him. Just wow. I think caregivers deal with rejection quite a bit, even though it can come in many forms. Maybe we don't fit in at some churches, can't participate in some settings, and are largely ignored by a society that doesn't understand. But God will come for us. He will seek us out. He is the first great Seeker, after all.

Scriptures say when we seek Him - He will let us find Him. (Jeremiah 29:14 "I will be found by you.") Can we turn that around and see that He is also seeking us? He wants a relationship with us, and He'll do anything to get it! He comes seeking - can we let Him find us today?

Today, I will remind myself that God is looking for relationship with me. I'll choose to let His heart find mine. I'll choose to let His heart reside in mine. When two seekers meet, it's a glorious reunion full of love and joy. Today, I won't run from the Seeker. I will stop and let Him find me right where I am. No matter how lonely, discarded, or disheveled I feel in my soul - He is still seeking after me. That brings my soul comfort, knowing that He hasn't given up His search for a soul that will worship Him. Will you join me in welcoming and worshiping Him today?

                                                                                                                                           

If you enjoy these devotionals, I have others! I've expanded my bookstore on Amazon. My devotionals are available in Kindle or print format. The new Bible study guides are now available on Kindle and in print! Check out my growing bookstore: 

I also recently opened my own bookstore. I'm presently filling it up with my books - check out the ones I have available in eBook format. You can download them and read them on your phone! Dove's Fire Ministries Bookstore.

Totally Accessible

 

No matter what your caregiving situation is, some things are just difficult. Some caregivers have a little leeway and can leave their loved ones alone for short periods so they can run errands or get out for a walk. Others, like my own situation, are such that our loved ones cannot be left alone even for a short time because they are total care.

When I was caring for my aunt, she used a walker, and that made it difficult to get in and out of places. She walked so slowly, it was laborious. If I take my son somewhere, there is loading, strapping in, driving to the location, unstrapping, and unloading. Then repeat all that when we are ready to go home or somewhere else. It's not difficult, but it does complicate what is a simple task for most. Add to that the difficulty of true accessibility, and you've got someone like me who is more content to just stay home. lol. 

When I first became a caregiver, not being able to attend church was difficult. Later, I tried, but there were so many pieces to the puzzle. We couldn't do "home groups" as most homes are not accessible. (That's my new dream - to build a fully accessible home!) Many stores say they are accessible - they follow the letter of the law, but they do not make it easy to push a chair into their establishment. It's frustrating to not be able to access stores, churches, and homes like we'd like to. 

This is one thing I love about God. He makes it so easy to get to Him no matter where we are coming from. Everyone can find Him if they seek for Him. He is totally accessible from any heart in any condition. He won't turn a person away because they are too bad, too dark, too confused, too lonely, too hurt, or too anything. He makes sure we know we can reach Him whenever we are ready.

Jeremiah 29:13 says You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. But look at the first part of verse 14: I will be found by you. He literally makes Himself accessible. It's like playing hide-n-seek with someone who won't hide and lets you find them. God doesn't turn anyone who seeks Him away. He won't say that our situations are too complex or confusing. He won't even tell us we are too emotional for Him. God doesn't tell us to talk more or talk less. He just bids us come.

Today, I will run to Him with all my baggage. I'll take Him my hurt, my joys, my confusion, my happiness, my sadness, and my whole self. I'll thank Him for being fully accessible with no hitches in the process. I'll turn my heart to seek Him on a deeper level today, knowing that He will let me find Him! I love that. Not only will God let us find Him, but He'll lead us right to Himself, where we can give our souls a cool refreshing drink of His peace and comfort. So, if you look for me - I'll be with Him drinking in His peace because it's always accessible! 

I have two bookstores of devotionals, Bible study guides, poetry, and more! You can get my downloadable eBooks (some are free!) from Dove's Fire Ministries Bookstore. A few of them are also available in print or for Kindle on Amazon!