New Year - Same Stuff

 We woke up yesterday to a brand new year; yay! But it didn't take but a few seconds to realize there wasn't some magic transition from 11:59:59 in 2022 to 12:00:00 in 2023. Absolutely nothing but the time and date changed. So, here we are in a new year with all the same stuff. We're still caregiving and we still have to take care of all the daily chores and tasks that need to get done when caring for another whole person. Hmmm.

Like many of you, I have set some goals for myself this year. Most of them are fitness oriented, and some have to do with my writing. (I want to write more devotionals, etc.) Healthier eating options, more activity during my days - as I can squeeze them in. But all in all - it's the same today as it was yesterday. And I'm pretty sure tomorrow may be the same. Of course, even in our day-to-day "routines" (I use that term loosely) there are so many unexpected things we deal with .

So, to be honest, as I woke up yesterday to a new year, I was a bit down. I encouraged myself a little bit by looking back over the year and thinking about a few things that have changed for the better. That doesn't mean they were easy, though. How do you encourage yourself when you start the day with those sorts of thoughts?

I started with this - His mercies are new every morning. Every new morning for us, whether it's New Year's Day, or not - starts with fresh mercies and grace to make the day. What happens in the course of the day may be anyone's guess, but the end is that we'll look back and see that He carried us through with His mercy and grace one more time.I'm learning to focus on that each day. sometimes, I have to break each situation down mentally and focus on His grace. By His grace here we are right here today. And by His grace we'll face another day - one day at a time until they make another year. Then, once again, we'll look back and be amazed that He carried us through all that again!

Today, I'll spend some time reflecting on how He has carried me and cared for me to this point in time.I'll think back about the journey and how His mercy and grace have undergirded me the whole way, whether I acknowledged it or not. My thoughts will turn to meditations on His goodness and how He continues to watch over this topsy-turvey caregiving life I live. I will think about how He is the stabelizer - for my soul, and I'll thank Him for one more day at His table. Will you join me?

_________________________________________________________

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.

Still the Same

 Well, it's almost a new year, and I guess you know what that means! Pretty much nothing, huh? Oh, if we write the date now, we'll switch out the last 2 for a 3! That's about it. There's no magic potion or button that gets pushed at midnight to signal anything new except on a calendar. I do like a new year, as it gives us a chance to reassess the previous year and choose what we'd like to change, set new goals, and things like that. But really, nothing changes at midnight tonight - but that's not all bad.

We'll wake up tomorrow still caregiving, still working, still doing our daily chores while the rest of the world gets to take a holiday. Hopefully, some of us will get precious time with friends or family to make the day brighter. But whatever caregiving situation we are in won't change tonight when the clock strikes 12. Again - that's not all bad!

When we wake up tomorrow in a new year, we'll still have everything God promised us. We'll find that His mercies are still being renewed every single morning, and tomorrow will be no different. His heart is still filled with love for us, and His grace will continue being enough to carry us through whatever we face each day of the coming year. His peace (that He gives us) will still be intact. His presence will be just as real and as tangible as we let it be! So "nothing changes" is actually a pretty good thing, I think!

So, I don't have to dread tomorrow - because God's kingdom won't change while we sleep tonight. Every promise He's ever made will still be active as we flip the calendar to a new year. I love that about God. He doesn't change in response to anything that goes on "down here." He is still full of grace, love, mercy, and loving kindness. We can be certain that He'll carry us through next year just like He has this year. That makes me smile - because He has no plans of leaving us stranded in our crazy emotions, anxious thoughts, and hectic lives.

Today, I will be thankful that God is still God, and nothing will change about Him - including how much He loves us and wants to be with us. I'll remind myself that His grace is always enough for any situation and that He's still got me! (One thing I am so thankful doesn't ever change!) So this next year, I just plan on continuing to trust Him for each new day. Will you join me?

One More Time

 Does it ever seem like your thoughts get stuck running along one track and it's hard to get them back where they need to be? Mine do. It seems I so easily get sucked into the black hole of emotions and horrible thought patterns. Honestly, it can be difficult to get my head back on the word and where it needs to be. Like David, I find I must encourage myself in the Lord many days. Sometimes, it's many times every day. Lol.

This year has had a lot of ups and downs, just like every year, right? And here we are in the last couple of days and I'm looking for ways I need to change. In the middle of that, I can be hard on myself. I'm starting to think caregivers do that a lot. Am I right? There is always something left undone at the end of the day - sometimes it's us! Lol. Each evening we can be swamped with all the things we wanted to get done and didn't. We met each demand made on us as well as we could and cared for our loved ones to the best of our abilities. But sometimes we need to hear one more time, that we are enough. We are loved by our Caregiver. We are surrounded by His grace. We can do all things through His strength. And sometimes, hearing those things one more time isn't enough. I have to remind myself all day long. Do you?

So, as we close out this year (there's one more day, of course), let this blog remind you that God's got you covered and He's right there in the mix with you - no matter how crazy, how overwhelming, how confusing, how big, or any other adjective you need to describe your current situation - He didn't leave when it got tough. As a matter of fact, He leaned in just a little closer. Sometimes, we just need to close our eyes and focus on Him with our souls.

Today, I will remind myself one more time that God has me. My thoughts will be on how His grace has carried me through yet another year I thought I couldn't make it through. Yet, here I am still hidden in Him - and look - you're here too! Congrats on a successful year's journey. My meditations will be on His grace and I'll picture Him carrying me right on into the new year. Will you join me in His arms 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.

Stay in the Game

 I love football! I used to spend hours playing it in the yard. My mom loved it then too, but only because it kept me out of the house for entire afternoons. Lol. I am an old-school Houston Oilers fan; that's where fandom all started for me. I loved Earl Campbell and still do. As I watched him and some of the other greats from that era, I learned to love the game. More recently, since becoming a caregiver, I started enjoying college football. 

Last night, I watched a bowl game. Arkansas was ahead 35 to 13. It was the final quarter, with not too much time left, when Kansas started an epic comeback. They were able to tie the game with seconds left on the clock, which sent the game into the first of a historic three overtimes. They lost in that third overtime, but they played with heart and guts. They stayed in the game when the world thought they were out. The Liberty Bowl will now go down in history as one of the most thrilling games of the season due to a team that never gave up and ended up setting all sorts of records.

Sportscasters aren't talking so much about the actual winners of the game based on numbers. They are talking about the epic comeback and heart of the Kansas team that tried. Of course, the win would have been an even better story, but Kansas has nothing to be ashamed of. 

In caregiving, there are no numbers to declare "winners" or "losers." We win when we stay in the game. It can be hard, and it can be stressful, but we can't give up on faith. Colossians 3:17 tells us that whatever we do - we should do it whole-heartedly as if we were doing it for Christ. I'm pretty sure that caregiving counts. Caring for our loved ones won't necessarily bring us any "victories" by the numbers on earth, but it will mean we win in the heart. We serve them as if we were serving Christ, and there is reward in that.

Staying in the game means not quitting when it looks impossible. It means we keep trusting God no matter how crazy our emotions get or how many funky roads our thoughts run down. Staying in the game means we just keep trusting God to lead us, to care for us as caregivers, to love us, and to keep us in the midst of the fight of our lives. And He will do all of that and more!

Today, I'll keep my heart and soul in the game by declaring my trust in Him. When I feel like I'm losing it, I'm all alone, or I just can't take one more step - I'll just lean into Him more closely. I'll kick my determination up a notch and give it another run. I'll center my heart on His grace, which carries me, and I'll trust Him for just one more day - one more play. I'll trust He'll make this day epic because I choose to stay in the faith game. 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.

Peace Agents

 This morning, I'm running super short on time, so I thought I'd share the live devotions I did on FaceBook earlier. Plus - I have an announcement!! I'm working on creating a YouTube section just for caregivers. It'll be private, so no one can access it without the links. Let me know if you'd like to have access. Until then - here's today's devotion on being a peace agent.

Spent With Grief

 

This morning, my emotions were all over the place. Who even knows why right? It just happens sometimes. Maybe it was a memory that sparked sadness or the crazy, rough dreams I had early this morning. (No, I didn't have pizza last night! Lol.) I chose to spend my morning devotions in a very familiar place - Psalm 31. It's been a long-time favorite psalm of mine, and it's loaded with good stuff to meditate on all day.

I read through the entire psalm before really landing anywhere. But I had a hard time just skipping by verses 9 and 10. David describes his eyes wasting away with grief in verse 9. Then, in verse 10, the psalmist says my life is spent with grief and my years with sighing. (NKJV) Boy, did I feel it this morning. Grief may come in waves, or it may set up camp - but it comes. I think caregivers deal with different types of grief. Those who are caring for parents miss the person their parent was and deal with the emotions of a huge role reversal. Those of us caring for children grieve for the person they were too. Parents caring for children with disabilities grieve over what could have been. 

David goes on to use some terms common to caregivers. He talks about being a reproach, forgotten, fearful, and alone. (I relate to all of those, do you relate to any of these emotions and feelings?) But here's what I love about David, he wraps up the midsection of this psalm with a faith confession. But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord, I say "You are my God." (v.14 NKJV) I love that David is so open and honest with his emotions and feelings because, in many circles today, it's not acceptable.

We can wrap up every crazy thought and release every wild emotion in prayer to the God Who hears us. As a matter of fact, He's aware of all of it, even if we don't share it with Him. So, He patiently waits for us to bring it to Him and trust Him with our care. That's not too different than our loved ones trusting us with their care (even if they don't know they are doing that!). 

Today, I will package up all my emotions and give them to God. I'll trust Him to care for me today. I will trust God to bandage up my wounded soul (mind, will, emotions) and anoint me with the salve of His Holy Spirit so I am whole in Him. I'll let Him carry my concerns today - and I'll let Him carry me too! Will you join me?

I Wasn't Ready

 I never dreamed that Christmases alone would be in my future. But there it was. We had invites, but life didn't give us the go-ahead, so we ended up spending Christmas Eve and Christmas alone this year. It was okay; I was just a little surprised that it happened to us. I don't know why. So, if you spent the holiday alone, I'm sorry. It's a sinking feeling.

Sure, I tried to scan Facebook a time or two, but all I saw were all the happy families spending great times together. I just avoided social media for most of the day, got a lot of work done, and tried to push it all out of my mind. But, boy, did it nag. I wasn't really emotional about it, but it sure hung over my head all day long for the two days. I'll plan differently for next year, that's for sure.

While I focused on working and getting a few projects done, I kept reminding myself that it was no big deal. But nagging thoughts like I'm not important to anyone kept trying to gain ground in my head. I even knew it wasn't true - I had places to go. It just didn't work out so that we could. I hope you didn't have a similar experience, but if you did, now is a great time to remind yourself that God is here - wherever your "here" is today. 

He hasn't unplugged His mercy, and His thread of grace still runs through every aspect of our lives. For this, I am thankful. Whether we spent the holiday with a crowd of family or friends or we spent it all alone, His grace, peace, love, and mercy were all still intact. I love that about God. He never outlines an area He won't enter or touch. He binds our wounds and heals our hurts. And He does it over and over again, for they are many when you are a caregiver.

Today, I'll remind myself that God is right here. I'll let my soul rest in the truth that He's got me covered and surrounded. My meditation will be on His ever-abiding presence and His comfort that remains extended even in my pain. My heart will be grateful that He never forgets about us, and we are not just an item way down on His to-do list either. We are front and center in His mind - He's near the brokenhearted, right? So, He must be right here in our today. So, I'll trust Him for one more day. Will you join me?