Keeping Your Eyes on the Lord

As we discussed in our last post, life is like a race. It is often a difficult race filled with obstacles and challenges. It is a race of faith. It is important that we keep our eyes on the Lord Jesus. This is especially true of the caregiving race.

Dear Christian caregiver, keep you eyes on Jesus and not on others as you run with faith the caregiving race. If you look around at others it will discourage and distract you. If you concentrate on another’s race, it may seem to you that their life is much easier. First of all you do not know the struggles they may be facing. Secondly, it may cause envy in your heart. God has assigned you the race that is meant for you, and that is the caregiving race.

Or perhaps if you concentrate on others you may see others who seem to be “holding it together” better than you are. Again you do not know their struggles. Concentrating on others will only distract and discourage. It will hinder you. Concentrate on the Lord instead.

Also dear caregiver, do not look inward. If you focus on your limited resources and strength and your own issues you will become very discouraged. You may even want to give up. The truth is that we are very weak in ourselves. We are totally dependent on the Lord.

I remember those days during my caregiving years when I felt, as if I could not go on one more day. That was a good place to be in a way, because it made me realize that I was totally dependent on the Lord. Do not look inward, dear caregiver. Look to the Lord.

Finally, dear caregiver, do not look back. It is tempting during caregiving days to look back with longing to the way things used to be. As I saw my husband deteriorate before my eyes step by step, I grieved each step backwards. I also sometimes longed for days past. That really serves no useful purpose, however, except to discourage and impede.

Dear caregiver, God has assigned you the difficult but vitally significant job of family caregiving. Trust Him to give you the strength to run your caregiving race, and run that race with your eyes focused on the Lord. Don’t look back. Focus on Him.