Daily Devotions for Caregivers

 I don't know about you, but checklists help run my days. The problem is that sometimes I have two or three or more checklists that I'm working off of. Sometimes, it gets totally out of hand, so I combine them all into one big checklist and start marking off items as I go. However, most days, there just aren't enough items marked off. This morning, I made a different list mentally. I started thinking about what I could cut from today's to-do list.  For caregivers, there are so many things that have to be done in a day. When each day involves the care of another person, the list of nonnegotiable gets long. It can be overwhelming, at best. Debilitating at worst. Sometimes I sit, sip coffee, and just stare at the list of things I need to do - the thing is that my to-do list doesn't have all the must-dos on it. I don't write range of motion, laundry, preparing tube feedings, standing frame time, etc., on the list because they are given. So, no wonder not many things...

 This morning, during my personal devotions, I was looking something up when my eye briefly saw a phrase from 2 Timothy. It's indented, so it sort of stood out on the page, but my eyes rolled over If we are faithless, He remains faithful. I don't know about you - but I know about me, and sometimes I feel like I'm lifeless and faithless. The crucible of life seems to press our souls out of us sometimes. Maybe it's the day-after-day strain of caring for our loved ones. Weariness doesn't creep in - it's taken up residence. Lol. So, when this scripture skipped across my attention, it made me start thinking. I know I have faith. I know you have faith. We are still seeking Him, after all. So there must be a glimmer of faith that keeps us running toward the cross. But sometimes, I feel totally wasted and faithless. This scripture helps remind me that when I feel like my faith bucket is empty, His bucket is still full.  When I feel the weakest, He is still the strongest...

  Do you ever get to the end of the day and realize how much you left undone? I am only one caregiver, but I imagine if I could just sit and talk with other caregivers, many of us, most likely most of us, have way too many responsibilities and chores to fit inside a 24-hour day. Maybe we could do more if we skipped sleep, which I've thought about a LOT, but just get too fuzzy-minded to do much after 11 or midnight. Lol. No matter what our caregiving story details look like, it can keep us busy. We live life on our toes, so to speak because we never know what kind of day-interrupters are going to occur. For the most part, I know in the morning that there is no way I can realistically get to every item on my to-do list. However, I just keep trying. The problem is that when I lay down at night, most nights, I feel like a failure. That's because I have my focus on what didn't get done  instead of what did  get done. Never mind that I totally cared for another whole adult huma...

  I love how God's grace never changes. When Paul found himself in difficult circumstances, he asked God three times for relief. (2 Corinthians 12) A breif look back at chapter 11 lets us know some of the trials Paul had faced. Caregiving's hard, but I haven't been in a shipwreck! Caregiving is tough, but I've never been beaten with rods. Caregiving is difficult, but I've never been robbed. Looking through his list somehow takes the sting out of my own. However, Paul was never where we are either. Which is actually good news. It means when God told him that His grace was sufficient for his crazy circumstances and difficultites - we can apply it to ours as well. No matter what we face God's grace can match it! I love that. As caregivers our thoughts and emotions can be all over the place in a matter of seconds. It's not unusual to have extreme joy followed by extreme sorrow, followed by extreme anxiety, and end up in peace. This cyclical activity can go on an...

 Caregiving can be a constant "rough spot" in our lives. But on our journeys, there are other dynamics that come into play. As caregivers, we learn rather quickly to be problem solvers. It's just part of the job. Sometimes we get supplies, sometimes we don't. We learn to navigate difficult systems and fight various battles that shouldn't even be necessary to provide for our loved ones. Even something as simple as filling a prescription can become a circus. Sigh. These things were running through my mind this morning as I was sorting through some of the recent changes occurring in our lives. I want to throw my hands up and quit. But of course, it's a fleeting thought as I catch my breath and go back in for round two, or three, or four... For a second, I wondered if God heard me. Frustrations mound, and I run out of answers, and even though I know  He hears me - I still ask Him if He does. Lol. My thoughts turn into prayers, and I ask God, do you even hear me? A...

Last week, I was preparing for one of my video sessions, and I found myself in 2 Kings 4. This is the story of the woman that Elisha prayed for. He prayed she would have a son as a way of blessing her for all she had done to help him. The son grew up, then one day he was in the field and grabbed his head and fell to the ground, then died later that day. Today, we would assume something like an aneurysm.  The grief-stricken mother hurridly began journeying to see Elisha. She Gehazi, Elisha's servant, that all was well, even though her heart had to have been shattered into a million pieces. Once she reached the man of God, she crumbled to the ground before him and lay at his feet. Gehazi tried to push her away. But Elisha recognized greif. He saw that her heart was broken, even though she had no words. Before she could even finish telling him what had happened, he took action and started Gehazi on the journey to the dead boy, on his behalf. Ultimately, the boy was raised from the dea...

  As caregivers, we have a few things in common. We care for a loved one. Our days are filled with caregiving tasks. The list could go on and on. Even though we have caregiving as common ground, no two stories have the same dynamics. They vary in many ways. Our loved ones may be in different age groups. Personally, I care for my 39-year-old son. But previously, I cared for him and my 89-year-old aunt. Yes, at the same time. Can you say, "full plate?" Some of us are caring for loved ones who are naturally aging. While others are watching our loved one's mind slowly drift away. Perhaps some caregivers, such as me, became caregivers due to a tragic accident. Others may be caring for a child that was born with birth defects. Besides who we care for, the way we care for them may differ. Some are still walkie-talkies and very ambulatory. Others are bedridden and need total assistance with ADLs. Still others are somewhere in between. They can do some things for themselves, but n...