Dear Christian caregiver, God has taken you along the path of family caregiving. The challenges of caregivng has heightened your awareness of your need for the Lord. Family caregiving may have placed you in circumstances which has made your perceived strengths useless and irrelevant. It may have also made you aware that your weaknesses are glaringly evident.
This is a good thing which has come from the difficulties of your caregiving experience, dear Christian caregiver. During these overwhelming desert like experiences in your life you are realizing your need for dependence on the Lord. This in turn has drawn you closer and closer to Him.
From that dependence on the Lord and closer relationship with Him perhaps you have discovered a new peace blossoming in your heart. This peace has come right in the midst of all the heartaches. You perhaps have discovered that needing the Lord and depending on Him is the key to knowing Him in a much more intimate way. This is the greatest gift you can receive, dear caregiver!
So can you make a sacrifice of praise and thanks for even these difficult times in your life, dear caregiver? Know that through these overwhelming challenges God is accomplishing His best work both in your life and in the life of your loved one. Will you trust Him with your needs this year? Will you grow in your intimacy with Him? Will you even thank Him for His work in your life? Will you find His peace this year?
thank you. I just found this site and am so grateful for it. I am a caregiver for my husband, who has MSA, and also mother of two teen/tweens. Your words could have been my words. Bless you. I will keep reading.
ReplyDeleteWelcome, SHB. Thank you for your kind works. May God bless you as you care for your husband.
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ReplyDeleteDear Sharon ~ I just found your blog through Widow's Christian Place by Ferree Hardy. My heart goes out to you reading about your care giving of your husband for 4 1/2 years. I became caregiver for my dear husband of 43 years last August, he passed away from a massive bladder cancer that had spread up his spine. He coded while in the MRI room on Dec. 9th and was gone at 10:12 a.m. He was in the hospital less than 24 hours. We did not know he had cancer. We thought he had torn a muscle in his neck. He did NOT like going to drs. so I gave him massages using essential oils for healing and stress. I blended up foods so that he could slurp them through a big fat straw. He took herbs and vitamins. He became weaker and weaker, until he was completely bedridden. We didn't tell anyone as we are private people. I had told blogging friends through my blog that he had hurt his neck. I cried, I read the Bible out loud, our hope was and mine still is in Jesus. We wanted him to be healed in the here and now, but God had other plans. He did heal my husband but not the way we wanted.
ReplyDeleteCaregiving was very hard, exhausting emotionally, physically, mentally, and yes even spiritually.
My dear husband said when this was all over, meaning when he got well, he wanted me to have a massage. I did. Friends paid for a massage therapist to come to our house and she gave me a wonderful massage.
These past 6 weeks without him have been awful, but Jesus is seeing me through each and every day. We had so many projects we were working on and looking forward to completing together. Our love during those last 4 months together grew deeper and stronger, and that time is priceless to me.
Caregivers need love, prayers and support. I hope your blog will help others. There are probably many like me who silently take care of their loved ones hoping and praying for the best.
Love and hugs to you ~ FlowerLady Lorraine
I am so sorry for your loss Lorraine. You are correct in saying that family caregiving is exhausting emotionally, physically, mentally, and even spiritually. That is why it is my passion to encourage caregivers as long as God leads me and gives me the words to say. I hope the Lord comforts and blesses you in the months ahead, as you grieve your husband's loss.
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