Dear Christian caregiver, the Lord is your treasure and strength in the storm of family care-giving. God may be using the storms of your care-giving days to show you His strength in your weakness, as you seek to deal with the overwhelming challenges. Because of your relationship with the Lord, dear Christian caregiver, you can approach God with confidence and freedom for help and strength as you face each new day.
I felt so inadequate for the task of being my husband's caregiver. It was not a role I would have chosen, and I certainly felt unprepared for that role. God, however, delights to use unlikely ordinary weak people to do His will. When you yield your limitations and even failures to the Lord, dear caregiver, you become a wonderful instrument in the Lord's hand. His strength and not your own will then fill you.
Also I know of no greater work in the kingdom of heaven than family care-giving. It is often a thankless job accompanied by grief and perhaps tears, as one sees one's loved one's health deteriorate. It is never a pointless role, however. For whatever is done for others is done for the Lord, and it will produce a harvest of blessings and joy in God's perfect timetable.
The family care-giving role is a role that often feels as if it is leading down blind alleys. Christian caregivers, however, can be assured that their Good Shepherd is leading and guiding them each step of the way. The Good Shepherd knows that you are very vulnerable, dear caregiver. Depend on Him for guidance and protection just as lambs follow their shepherd. As your Good Shepherd He will walk before you and lead you. He is your hope for today, as you face your care-giving challenges. He is also your hope and the hope of your loved one for the future!
Oh Sharon, I just love this post today.
ReplyDeleteAs I look back I am surprised I was able to be what I needed to be for my husband as his caregiver.
I consider myself an emotionally weak person. I never thought of myself as strong. I always leaned on my husband for support for everything. Now, suddenly, here he is needing everything from me. There is so much more to caregiving then just physical care. There is also emotional and spiritual care too. I needed the strength to put aside my emotions to care for him during this time. I was so afraid that I would be to busy crumbling to handle anything else.
At the time I didn't really understand what was happening. I believe that God did though. He's the one who stepped in and gave me the inner strength to be the caregiver I needed to be.
God is the one who guided me through my fears and worries. I had so many and I was so afraid.
I now had to depend on God for help as I didn't want to worry my husband when I was overwhelmed or afraid. I was so worried my emotions of not being able to handle losing him would make me to weak to do what I needed to do.
I know now that God had stepped in and walked with me through all of it and at the same time walked with my husband as he went through all that he went through with his illness.
I watched him grow and get closer to God during his illness. That was an amazing thing to witness.
God wouldn't call you to be a caregiver if he didn't think you could do it. God knows that we struggle with thinking or worrying that we can't, but we have to learn that with Him we can.
<3
~Cathy
Wow! Thank you, Cathy! I could have said almost everything you said word for word. As I said God loves to use weak people, so His strength can be shown.
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing and sharing with those of us still on the caregiver journey. I care for my husband of 33 yrs.at home,he has dementia of the Alzheimers type and was diagnosed 4 yrs. ago. It is only through the strength of the Lord that I am able to do this and the prayers and support of my family. I recently discovered this equation for strength. Thankfulness = Joy = Strength God bless you and keep writing!
ReplyDeleteGod bless you, Jan, for all you are doing as a caregiver for you husband. I know it is not an easy task. I love your equation, Jan. It seems so counter to what we think to be thankful in difficult times, but it is indeed the key to joy and strength. Thank you for commenting, Jan!
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