Sunday, November 20, 2016

Thankfulness




There is always, always, always something to be thankful for.  That sentence on the sign above says it all, doesn't it, dear caregiver?  I remember how overwhelming and discouraging life could become when I was my husband's caregiver.  It was distressing to see the continual declines in my husband's health.  Yet I found that my load could be lifted by looking for God's wonders in my life and thanking Him for them.  For what can you thank the Lord today, dear caregiver?

(There will be no new blog post next week, because of the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. Use this time to read some of the older blog posts.  The next blog post should be on or around December 4.)

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Your Spiritual Calling

At times, dear caregiver, you may feel overwhelmed or discouraged by the challenges of family care-giving. You also may feel like you are tied down and all alone in the day to day issues of caring for your loved one.  Having been a caregiver myself I understand the emotions that can accompany this undertaking. 

Have you ever considered your responsibility as a family caregiver a sacred calling, however, dear caregiver? Whether you have considered it to be so or not, your position as a family caregiver is indeed a spiritual calling on you life.  If you are a believer you are a living stone in God's spiritual house which has Jesus Christ as the cornerstone and foundation.  You are offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God, and your loving care of your loved one is part of that spiritual sacrifice that you are making to the Lord God. (Check out I Peter 2:4-5 in the New Testament of the Bible concerning this.) If you can think of your care-giving responsibilities in this way, dear caregiver; you burdens will feel less heavy, and your joy will increase.

Knowing this does not eliminate all the negative emotions and difficult decisions, but it does add peace and joy in the midst of it all.  It is easy to become afraid of what lies ahead when our loved ones are perhaps declining in health.  During such moments remember, dear caregiver, that the Lord not only values your spiritual sacrifice, but will also pave the path ahead of you.  The path may be difficult at times, but the Lord will be with you in all the challenging and decision making moments of your loved one's care.

There is always hope for each new day, because the Lord is with you each step of the way.  The Lord is holding your hand and walking beside you.  He is also walking before you and behind you.  He understands your tears and your frustrations.  He will always be faithful to you, dear caregiver, and to your loved one.  Life can be difficult especially as a family caregiver; but remember that the Lord loves you with a passion, dear caregiver.  He proved that on the cross.  Rest in that, and rejoice in your spiritual calling as family caregiver!

Sunday, November 6, 2016

Falling Down

When I was in the United Kingdom recently visiting family, one of the places my son and I visited was Tower Bridge in London.  Because of the architecture of this walking bridge I am guessing this is where the song "London Bridges Falling Down" originated.  You can see pictures of this bridge below. The first picture shows me in the picture with the bridge in the distance.  The second picture is on the bridge itself.

Especially from a distance it does appear as if the bridge is falling down.  If you look closely you can see that the bridge is fully solid and secure.  It is the architecture on the side of the bridge which gives the bridge the appearance of falling down.

Do you ever feel as if life is falling apart, dear caregiver, as you care for your loved one?  As you perhaps watch your loved one deteriorate step by step in his or her health, it is easy to become discouraged.  I remember those feelings as a caregiver.  Yet whether our struggles be care-giving challenges or something else, the Lord asks us to look to the Lord and not at our circumstances.  The psalmist in Psalm 123:1 says to God in prayer, "I lift my eyes to You, to You whose throne is in heaven."  The psalmist says later in Psalm 123:2b "so our eyes look to the Lord our God till He shows us His mercy."  Even when it feels as if our world is crashing down around us that is merely an optical illusion like the London Tower Bridge.  God is in control, and he has it all in His hands.

In Psalm 73 the psalmist there had become discouraged by the unanswered "whys" of his life.  Yet I love his triumphant words towards the end of the chapter.  He says to God, "Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand.  You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory.  Whom have I in heaven but You?  And earth has nothing I desire besides You.  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Psalm 73:23-26)

So resolve with me to keep our gaze on the Lord and not on our circumstances.  Can we like the prophet Habakkuk in the Old Testament of the Bible also resolve to praise the Lord no matter what?  In Habakkuk chapter three starting at verse seventeen the prophet lists a number of possible yet unthinkable situations that could happen to him in his life.  Yet the prophet says if any or all these things happen to him, he will "rejoice in the Lord."  He says even in the worst possible situation that life can throw at me, "I will be joyful in God my Savior."  May this be your and my resolve and prayer as well.