Monday, April 1, 2013

Easter and the Caregiver

We have just celebrated Easter. What does Easter mean to you, dear Christian caregiver? How does it relate to family care-giving? 

Easter means that the Lord Jesus came to this earth and lived a perfect life for you and me. He later died on the cross to pay the price for our sins, and then He arose again on the third day to prove that He had won over sin and death and Satan. If you and I have accepted his gift of salvation by repentance and faith, we are His child now and for eternity.

Easter also means that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, identifies with your pain and the pain of your loved one, dear caregiver. As you struggle to help your loved one who is perhaps fighting against an incurable disease, He identifies with you. Having suffered the worst possible pain for us on the cross He is able to sympathize with our heartaches and weaknesses. He is also an all powerful Savior to whom we can freely go for grace in our moments of sadness and overwhelming and crushing needs.  Check out Hebrews 4:15-16 in the New Testament.

Because of Easter and Christ's sacrifice you can freely approach God the Father Himself with your and your loved one's needs, dear Christian caregiver. You can cry out to Him for help and call Him your “Abba Father,” because He considers you His special child. (Romans 8:15) Easter also means that when your heart is so weighed down with the heartaches and overwhelming circumstances of family care-giving that you do not even know how to pray, the Holy Spirit will intercede and pray for you! (Romans 8:26)

Easter for the caregiver means that although you will always face trials and troubles in this world, the Lord Jesus Christ has overcome the world.  He is also your source of peace even in the most challenging of times. (John 16:33)  Even in the overwhelming circumstances of family care-giving, even when we do not understand God's ways in allowing certain things in our lives, and even in the most unthinkable circumstances God is working for our ultimate good. We are victors in Him! (Romans 8:28)

Dear Christian caregiver, my hope for you would be that your loved one is healed on this earth. Whether he or she is healed on this earth or not, however, a child of God is whole and perfect upon entering heaven. No matter what happens in your care-giving situation you too, dear caregiver, will slowly heal emotionally and spiritually. God will always be with you, and joy will return one day. His love for you will never fail. He proved that love for you on the cross. That is the meaning of Easter for the caregiver and for all of us.

4 comments:

  1. As always Sharon, you're posts are so inspiring. Even though I'm not a caregiver anymore; I find a lot of support and comfort as I think back to when I was a caregiver. At the same time, I find hope for today. I have a friend who is a caregiver and I have sent her this post for today.

    Thank you Sharon!

    ~Cathy <3

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  2. Thank you, Cathy! Thank you for your encouraging words!

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  3. Thank you for your wonderful blog. So many parts were like reading what I wish I could put into words, but never can.
    I'm currently taking care of my husband who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's (ALS) 4 years ago at the age of 28.
    The only thing that has gotten me through this is knowing that it's not up to me to do this - only God is giving us the strength to make it through.
    Thank you for sharing your journey - may God Bless you.

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  4. Thank you, "The Solovious," for your kind comments. I know you are walking a difficult path, but the Lord is with you each step of the way. May the Lord bless you for what you are doing for your husband!

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