The Soul Eclipse

 

I've been told that I "wear caregiving well." I'm pretty sure it was meant as a compliment and, of course, pointed to God's sustaining power. I'm still the silly, fun-loving person I always was, even though life changed forever. It can certainly feel like our soul is eclipsed by the cares of life. And there are very few people who will look past the moon (caregiving) to see the true light in the soul behind it. That's okay.

I still love a good joke and tasteful pranks. Who doesn't love a good laugh? It's good for the soul, and sometimes I watch funny movies just for the soul's benefit. But it seems that there is always a soul eclipse as caregiving can cast a shadow on everything since it infiltrates literally every aspect of our lives. There's no getting around it.

People see the bright and cheery part - but they don't see the nights I lay awake trying to figure out how to make ends meet. They don't see the times I'm so overwhelmed with emotions that I cannot function. Or maybe the stranger stares (we all get those!) are because they can't figure out why there is such a bright light behind our caregiving-darkened souls. But we know.

We know the sustaining power of God that shines around our souls and keeps us going. We understand that He is right there in the mix during those long, dark nights of the soul, and He's there to help us pull it all together once we get ready. But He also waits for us to be ready. He's not put off by our pain. He's not disgusted by our not-so-normal way of life. He never throws up His hands because He doesn't know what to do with us. And He certainly doesn't ignore us because we live life differently than everyone else. He doesn't have a box for us to fit in, so He's not lost when it comes to loving us.

Today, I will remind myself that God is in it with me - He's here for the long haul. He hasn't set a limit on His grace, and I know I have enough for today. I'll be thankful that His light continues to shine on my caregiving path, no matter what tries to eclipse it. My thoughts will be on His never-ending power to sustain my soul. And I'll trust Him to do just that for one more day. Will you join me?

The "Because" Clause

 

As caregivers, we didn't exactly initiate the battle life threw our way. Most of us did choose to take on the fight, though, right? We didn't choose for our loved ones to have a disability, be in mental or physical decline, or have an accident. Our choice was to take care of our loved ones while acknowledging the battle it was going to thrust us into. And that's okay. Here we are!

In 1 Chronicles 5:18-20, it tells us of the armies of Rueben, Gad, and Manasseh. Since they were skilled warriors and heavily armed for the day, they launched an attack on the "ites" in the land. For caregivers, the battle chose us, but these tribes chose the battle. We don't know what happened or what was going down, but we know from verse 20 that they cried out to God during the battle. While that is important, it's the next part that got me.

After they cried out to God from an intense battle, it says He answered their prayer because they trusted in Him. I love that part. He helped them go ahead and win that battle - the one they started - because. The "because clause" is the most important part of this verse to me this morning. 

God could have told these tribes a lot of things - things we probably heard our parents say to us, things we most likely said to our own kids, such as:

• You started it - now finish it.
• You made your bed; now lie in it.
• You picked a fight - be big enough to follow through.
• You got yourself into this mess - get yourself out.

But God didn't say any of those things. Insert the because clause—because they trusted in Him—He answered them. They went on to fight and win that battle because God fought for them.

Here's what encouraged me in this passage. They started it, but God still heard them and helped them. They chose it, but God still heard them and helped them. They brought it on themselves...you get the idea.

Today, I will encourage myself with the truth that God will hear me in the middle of my battle, one that I didn't choose. Instead, it chose me. God will answer me in the middle of the storm I had no control over at all. He will strengthen me as I sit in the back of the caregiver's cave, waiting for Him. If God stands up for those who choose the battle - He will certainly go to bat for those who had no choice. I will trust that He will hear me today, and He will answer. So, I will trust Him for one more day. Will you join me?

__________________________________________________

Book of the Week!

Affirmations for Caregiver

• Are you a caregiver?
• Do you know a caregiver?
• Do you need a little encouragement?
• What does God think about you?

Grab a copy of the Affirmations for Caregivers! This devotional journal gives a scripture and an affirmation for every day. It follows up the truth with soul-searching questions and space to write out your personal answers. What a great way to give it to God and trust Him for another day!

Whether you see yourself as a caregiver or not, this affirmation journal will help change your perspective as you give it all to the One who gave you all. Grab a copy and dive in! It's designed to take about 5-10 minutes a day to reflect, think deeply, and lean into His heart a little closer.

eBook: Dove's Fire Ministries Bookstore 

Kindle or Print: Amazon Bookshelf

The Trouble with New Days

 We know that His mercies are new every morning, and that's simply for our benefit since God has no "mornings." When we wake up each new day, we can rest assured that He's already planned to cover us for the day. I was thinking about all of this when I got up early this morning. The trouble is, though, that I woke up with all of yesterday still hanging over my head. 

Maybe you know. There are all those things that I didn't get to, mostly because of caregiving responsibilities, because those cannot be ignored or put off. That often means that I don't get this blog done as regularly as I'd like. It usually means I am running behind on the work I do to make my living. Sigh. That's a big one! Lol... Even though I get up and remind myself that His mercies are enough for today, there's a lot left over to clean up from several yesterdays. What does God do with that, I wonder?

The first thing that comes to mind is that He is consistent. He is faithful. He is fully capable of handling my new day - no matter how much of tomorrow came over with the morning. He will still gather me up and carry me and all my "stuff" through today, no matter how many leftovers I'm carrying from previous days. 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us to bring all our troubles and cares to Him - and then let Him care for us.

There are no qualifiers, quantifiers, limitations, or exclusions in that verse. Just bring it all—from days gone by to years gone by—and he'll take it all. 

So here I stand on the brink of a new day. I'm a packer, so I can see myself as having my backpack on my back stuffed with all my essential "stuff." But my hands are full of today's stuff, too, and I'm not sure where to put anything. On top of all that, my heart is overwhelmed with the emotions that go with caregiving, from grief to overwhelm, sadness to joy. But He just steps in and scoops me and all my stuff up and pulls me close to His heart. And there I sit. Close to the One I love. Near the heart of the One I trust. Content that He will get me through this day, no matter how many days are in it.

Today, I am resolved to trust Him with everything. I'll lean into Him a little closer and wait for Him to help me navigate the heaviness of today. I'll remind myself that I can trust Him with it all. My meditations will be on how I can learn to let Him care for me so I can relax in Him. I'll sit right by His heart, listening for His breath as I trust Him for one more day. Will you join me?

___________________________________________________

Book of the Week!

Affirmations for Caregiver

• Are you a caregiver?
• Do you know a caregiver?
• Do you need a little encouragement?
• What does God think about you?

Grab a copy of the Affirmations for Caregivers! This devotional journal gives a scripture and an affirmation for every day. It follows up the truth with soul-searching questions and space to write out your personal answers. What a great way to give it to God and trust Him for another day!

Whether you see yourself as a caregiver or not, this affirmation journal will help change your perspective as you give it all to the One who gave you all. Grab a copy and dive in! It's designed to take about 5-10 minutes a day to reflect, think deeply, and lean into His heart a little closer.

eBook: Dove's Fire Ministries Bookstore 

Kindle or Print: Amazon Bookshelf

Little by Little

 Do you ever look back and wonder just how you made it through the day? Maybe one day comes to mind, or a series of days. But sometimes, I look back and wonder how all of this unfolded so slowly and quickly at the same time. Early on, I remember thinking about how I couldn't envision what the future held. I had no idea how quickly or slowly my son was going to recover, if at all. I didn't have a place to call home, nowhere to go, and I couldn't come up with a picture for the future no matter how hard I tried. 

Each day just unfolded in front of me little by little. Then, for this little 3-year window, I cared for my son and my aging aunt. It was both a joy and a challenge to be sandwiched between two generations as a caregiver. Again, I had no idea how it would unfold. 

I learned to just take a day little by little, one step, one action, one thing at a time. Any more than that and I'm on immediate overwhelm and ready to sit in the recliner, sip my coffee, and stare at the wall. Lol. (I know you relate, at least on some level!) Isn't that the key to how we learn to trust God? 

I wish I could say that I woke up one morning, declared I was going to trust Him and then I never had to worry about a thing after that. But I'd be lying, first off. Secondly, something new pops up every single day. Now I look at these daily challenges as opportunities to learn how to roll it over on Him and trust Him for one more day - a little bit at a time.

But you know what? I find myself at the end of the busy caregiving day, having trusted Him to get me there. And as I reflect on the day, I realize His breath was in every moment, I just had to stop and listen for it along the way. 

I think of our Bible heroes, who did the same thing, even though scriptures don't always lay it out that way. Joseph had to trust God day by day as he sat in the prison cell for years and the hours drug by. Daniel trusted God all night in the lion's den, besides living the bulk of his life as a captive. You know he trusted God one breath at a time. So many others we read about did the same thing - trusting God little by little to get through each day. It encourages us to do the same.

Today, on this super busy day, I will trust Him one breath at a time. Like you, I've got a long "to-do" list of things I hope to accomplish before day's end. But whether I get every detail done or not - I know that He's walking through this day with me. He's keeping my weary soul and breathing life into it. So, I'll take a deep breath and wait for Him as I trust Him for one more day a little at a time. Will you join me?

___________________________________________________

Book of the Week!

Affirmations for Caregiver

• Are you a caregiver?
• Do you know a caregiver?
• Do you need a little encouragement?
• What does God think about you?

Grab a copy of the Affirmations for Caregivers! This devotional journal gives a scripture and an affirmation for every day. It follows up the truth with soul-searching questions and space to write out your personal answers. What a great way to give it to God and trust Him for another day!

Whether you see yourself as a caregiver or not, this affirmation journal will help change your perspective as you give it all to the One who gave you all. Grab a copy and dive in! It's designed to take about 5-10 minutes a day to reflect, think deeply, and lean into His heart a little closer.

eBook : Dove's Fire Ministries Bookstore 

Kindle or Print: Amazon Bookshelf

Big Shoulders

 

One thing that I absolutely love about God is that He has big shoulders. He can handle anything I need to give to Him to carry. God's not afraid of our emotions, feelings, or situations. One of the things that I have learned from the Psalms is that it is okay to say just about anything to God. He won't get mad. He won't walk away. He won't tell me to come back when I am in a better mood. He has big shoulders. Big enough to carry my struggles, problems, emotions, and me too!

One psalm that helped me find this out is Psalm 13. David poured it all out before God. He turned the emotions loose and told God exactly what he was thinking and feeling. 

O Lord, how long will You forget me? Forever?

How long will You look the other way?

How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day?

How long will my enemy have the upper hand? (NLT)

When I realized God not only didn't strike David down to the ground, He let it be put in the Bible, I realized I could talk openly and honestly with God about how I feel. Seriously, what are you or I going to tell Him that He doesn't already know? If I am mad at God - He knows it already. If I feel like I am losing hope, He already knows. He probably knew it before I did. Lol. He's got big enough shoulders to carry me and all my "stuff," too. I can trust Him. And He can trust me to bring it all to lay at His feet every single time. He trusts that I will run to Him, that I'll give Him my deepest sorrows and greatest regrets. God trusts that I'll bring my most hurtful moments to Him. He embraces me in my hopelessness, pain, sorrow, and grief. And He never pushes me away.

Today, I'll remind myself that it is by choice that God is my very present help in trouble. I will think about how it's His choice to walk with me through life's most difficult moments and my choice to acknowledge that He is with me in them. My meditations will be on how He is incapable of leaving me and on how I can draw hope from the truth that He can be trusted with everything I feel, even all my crazy thoughts. I'll remind myself that He loves me. He gets me, and He's not going anywhere. I think I can trust Him with this day. Will you join me?

___________________________________________________

Book of the Week!

Book of James Bible Study Guide

• ·         Are you ready to be challenged?
• ·         Can you answer hard questions honestly?
• ·         Want to take a deep look at your own Christianity?
• ·         Are you ready for James?

 

Grab a copy of the James Bible Study guide! This Bible study guide walks the reader through the book of James. Are you up for the truth challenge? James deals with some hard topics, the ones we don’t always want to face. This study guide provides thought-provoking questions that can lead to spiritual growth.

Think of it as a spiritual, rugged obstacle course that helps you build stamina, strength, and endurance. Are you ready? Grab a copy if you dare! 😊

eBook : Dove's Fire Ministries Bookstore 

Kindle or Print: Amazon Bookshelf

The Chase

 

This morning, I was reading about Benaiah in 2 Samuel 23. He was one of David's mighty men, and these three or so verses are all we know about him. He accomplished some mighty feats, but the one that stands out is that he chased a lion into a pit on a snowy day and killed it. Why would you chase a lion? I shared on my FaceBook Live devotions, Peace Out, this morning how we have to chase down the things that are trying to destroy us.

For example, so many things try to steal the peace we know He gave us. We remind ourselves that God is present. He won't leave us. We also choose favorite scriptures we can use as weapons when we feel things like doubt, fear, anxiety, and any other emotion or thought trying to overtake us and drag us down. I'll post the video below.

After I finished editing the video and uploading it across social media channels, I started thinking about it a bit more. As a caregiver, sometimes I'm just tired. Other times, I am too tired. And other days, I'm too tired to... enter a deep sigh.

Of course, we stand on God's word to keep the enemies of our souls at bay. But what about when we are tired? Caregiving is exhausting. It can be debilitating on many levels. What if I literally don't have the strength to chase the lion away - the one that wants to devour my soul? That's honestly what I was thinking when another verse came to mind. (Enter my plug for studying the Word!)

Psalm 23:6 says this - Surely Your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life...(NLT) That was the boost my emotions needed this morning. On those days I just don't feel like chasing a lion even to have peace of mind - God's already got me covered. I don't have to always be the chaser because I am always being chased by His mercy and grace! 

Today, I will stop and let His mercy, goodness, unfailing love, and grace catch me! Maybe I'll stop running for just a minute and stand still. Then I can exclaim, Oh, You caught me! To the One who is constantly, consistently, and passionately pursuing my soul. And when He catches me, I will remind myself that I can trust Him, and that He's got me. I will trust Him for just one more day. Will you join me?

________________________________________________________

Book of the Week!

Book of James Bible Study Guide

• ·         Are you ready to be challenged?
• ·         Can you answer hard questions honestly?
• ·         Want to take a deep look at your own Christianity?
• ·         Are you ready for James?

 

Grab a copy of the James Bible Study guide! This Bible study guide walks the reader through the book of James. Are you up for the truth challenge? James deals with some hard topics, the ones we don’t always want to face. This study guide provides thought-provoking questions that can lead to spiritual growth.

Think of it as a spiritual, rugged obstacle course that helps you build stamina, strength, and endurance. Are you ready? Grab a copy if you dare! 😊

eBook : Dove's Fire Ministries Bookstore 

Kindle or Print: Amazon Bookshelf

Beyond Reach

 In 2 Samuel 22 verse 49, David says, God held me safe beyond the reach of my enemies; you save me from violent opponents. (NLT) This verse grabbed my attention this morning, and I've been thinking about it. Now, fortunately, we don't often fight physical enemies like David did. But today, we don't have to be up against physical people to be valiant warriors. I dare say that any caregiver is a warrior.

We may not fight physically, but our enemies and opponents can definitely launch violent attacks against our souls! Maybe we aren't facing a man holding a sword, but we do face many enemies on many fronts daily as caregivers. For some, it's a financial enemy. Perhaps for others is it physical illness or weakness in their own bodies. Sometimes, it is pure old doubt or fear that tries to wreak havoc in our minds and hearts. There's no doubt that there is a battle, many battles, and they are daily. The good news is that God keeps us just out of the reach of their destructive forces.

I imagine myself standing on a ledge and God's hand wrapped around me from behind, keeping me from falling off into the chasm below. As caregivers, we usually live on the edge, but not the one Aerosmith was talking about. Lol. Our day can go any direction on a dime, whether we are ready or not. Fear. Doubt. Hopelessness. Confusion. Are just a breath away. But God. He is our stabilizer. He is the only reason we haven't caved in and we are still running this race of faith, right?

Today, I will imagine God holding me for as long as it takes. I'll remind myself that He is the keeper of my soul and that He will not leave me. My meditation will be on His nearness and I'll rejoice that He will not pack up and leave when the going gets tough or tougher. He'll always keep a separation between my heart and total destruction. He will keep me today! I will trust Him for one more day. Will you join me?

__________________________________________________________

Book of the Week!

Book of James Bible Study Guide

• ·         Are you ready to be challenged?
• ·         Can you answer hard questions honestly?
• ·         Want to take a deep look at your own Christianity?
• ·         Are you ready for James?

 

Grab a copy of the James Bible Study guide! This Bible study guide walks the reader through the book of James. Are you up for the truth challenge? James deals with some hard topics, the ones we don’t always want to face. This study guide provides thought-provoking questions that can lead to spiritual growth.

Think of it as a spiritual, rugged obstacle course that helps you build stamina, strength, and endurance. Are you ready? Grab a copy if you dare! 😊

eBook : Dove's Fire Ministries Bookstore 

Kindle or Print: Amazon Bookshelf