Keep Calm

I know that the "Keep Calm..." saying are everywhere, but this one was awesome and I had to share it!  How true is this?  When emergencies or tragedy occurs in the lives of caregivers, and it does a lot, God tells us to stay calm.  Have you ever asked God how in the world you could possibly stay calm when the world around you is collapsing?  I know I have!  But, I do have some amazing, mind-blowing news for you.  I have called on the name of Jesus in some of those horrible moments and actually felt the physical touch of the Holy Spirit fall on me and a calm that I could not put into words.  God can give you and I that calm spirit but we have to do two things.  One, a supernatural peace can come over you only when you ask Him for it and two, you have to believe He can do it!

Exhausted

Have you ever felt so tired from being a caregiver that you were falling asleep at work?  Well, I have.  There were nights that I was up most of the night with either Brian or Taylor and then had to work the following day.  I never complained but it was hard.  At times I would try not to sit down for fear that I would doze off.  Exhaustion is a tool of the enemy to weaken us and defeat us in our journey as a caregiver.  DON'T allow him to use this against you!  Even when I could not get physical sleep, I would pray for God to give me supernatural energy and stamina.  You know what?  He would and still does!  If God can heal your body from terminal disease why do we doubt that He can give us energy?  It's pretty silly when you look at it like that.  Call on the Lord to give you energy and help you meet the needs of your day.  He can and will do it for you!

Caring for Many

Many caregivers find themselves taking care of more than one person at a time.  This picture shows a woman who is caring for both her mother and her father.  This can be overwhelming when you realize you are responsible for meeting the needs of two people at the same time.  Caregivers many times even move into the home of the ones they are caring for to make things more convenient.  I know when my grandfather was bound to a wheelchair due to a severe stroke and my grandmother was fighting lung cancer, our family would stay days at a time at their home so that we could help my mother who was their primary caregiver as well as spend some time with her.  I watched my parents completely change their lives in order to care for their parents.  They were a great example for me as a caregiver. 

Esther's Favor

I was recently reminded that I share the very same favor of God that was poured out on Queen Esther of the Bible.  Queen Esther was an ordinary Jewish woman yet God placed His favor upon her life and supernatural unexplainable things began to happen.  Doors began to open for her which would lead to her using her influence as queen to save the Jewish people.  She did not use her favor in selfish ways.  Instead, she used what God had blessed her with in order to change the lives of others.  Do we do this?  Do we use our influence and blessings from the Father in order to touch and change the lives of those around us?  We cannot ever earn this amazing favor but instead it is freely given to us in love.  Queen Esther had a purpose for the Lord and so do you and I.

 

How We Handle Our Hurts

Sometimes I just don't understand why things happen the way in which they do. Why is it that the people we love the most don't seem to "get" us? They say they understand or know us better than anyone but in reality they many times know the least. Recently someone I love dearly said things to me that left me broken hearted and calling out to God in a way I haven't in a long time. I also shouted at the devil for I knew he used this situation to hurt me and come against me. The problem was that this dear one thought they were helping but there were no words of encouragement or defense for me. There was only tearing down and words of accusation. I knew as I sat and listened that the enemy used this attack to discourage me for only days prior to the attack God had spoken to me in a very powerful way and reminded me of an awesome promise. The enemy knew that I was on cloud nine spiritually and he had to stop that. I also knew it was the enemy for the words spoken were all against what God had specifically told me to do. You see, this was a test of my faith. The enemy wanted to see if I would trust my loved one or my God. This was a very difficult place to be but I will always choose my Savior and what He has told me to do. I also believe that God will bless me for being kind and not lashing out at the one who hurt me so terribly deep. The self control I had while the words pierced my heart could have only come from the Father. Sadly, I believe that the one who hurt me in this way actually thought they were helping me and that they did it out of love. Anytime we tear down or are negative it is not out of love. If there is someone you want to help or you feel they need your advice, pray for God to give you a caring attitude and sweet delivery. There should be no attacking attitude. The person you confront should never feel defensive or misunderstood. You should give them a chance to share their heart as well. They may know things you don't know. I praise the Lord because I know He is preparing me for a future of depending on only Him and not people. I know that I will leave my nest of security in the years to come in order to follow the Lord and the ministry He has placed ahead of me. There will always be critics but guess what? There will always be my sweet Jesus and that's the only one I have to please! Just sharing my heart.

More Than a Pet

When I saw this sweet face I knew that my blog would be about the way in which God uses sweet animals to bless and comfort us.  In December of 2005 only months before Brian was diagnosed with heart failure in May of 2006, our family adopted a sweet boxer bulldog named Miss Nina.  She quickly became a member of our family.  When Brian was homebound and forced to quit working she was a constant companion and even saved him one day when he walked to the mailbox while home alone and would not have made it back without her help!  She hates the hospital smell and each time Brian would return home he would have to wash off or shower because she would not stop licking him!  She has always known Brian was sick and because of this we know God planned her coming into our home the way she did.  She continues to give us unconditional love and we are blessed because of her.  We are thankful that God has loved us through Miss Nina!

Priceless Caregiver Support

This past weekend my sweet daddy, Charles, turned 67 years old.  For many years I watched him not only care for others but most importantly take care of my mom and myself as we cared for others.  The loved ones who support caregivers are so important and often overlooked.  The man in this picture was always with me in the worst of times over the past 7 years as I faced heart failure along side my young husband.  I will never forget one night in particular when Brian was being raced back to Wake Med and was in critical condition.  I really didn't know if Brian was going to live or die.  It was just me and my daddy in the car following the ambulance.  I just kept saying over and over, "Daddy, why does this keep happening?  Why won't the Lord just stop all this and heal Brian?  What will I do if Brian dies?"  My daddy stayed calm as he drove and continued to say, "Shug, God hasn't
brought Brian this far to leave him now.  God is with you and I am so sorry this is happening.  I just wish I could take all this away from you and Brian."  Just knowing this was a comfort to my heart and my spirit.  My daddy's faith is sometimes quiet but oh, so strong!

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