His Joy

Deuteronomy 31:6(NIV)

  Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

The holiday season can be very difficult and painful for many caregivers.  There isn't time for parties or attending even family festivities for the caregiver must remain by the bedside of the one he/she cares for.  The work they accomplish doesn't stop for even Christmas.  I have recently spoken with several caregivers who were very sad over missing special church services, not being able to get any shopping done for family or friends, and from overwhelming feelings of not being able to do all they feel is expected by those around them.  It breaks my heart for I have often felt those same things during this time of the year.  

I must admit that several years ago I got to a breaking point where I realized I was not physically or mentally able to continue all I did during the holidays before my husband Brian became ill.  You may have to do the very same thing.  It is perfectly fine to change traditions and the way you have done things forever so that you can actually enjoy yourself.  I suggest trying to talk with family and friends and if this doesn't work still do what works for you and your immediate family.  This may sound harsh but you must take care of yourself.  If your family and friends don't understand or care how life has changed for you as a caregiver, your holiday may be more peaceful without them.  Also, remember if people ask to help you and its something another can actually do for you, let them!  God may have sent them to be His help to you!  You would never tell God no.  So don't tell them no.  

I also send my thoughts and prayers of comfort out to all caregivers who have lost the ones they cared for this past year and face their first Christmas without them.  This is a very real pain you are feeling.  Don't allow others to belittle it or underestimate the loss you have experienced.  But DO ALLOW God to be your comforter and healer.  His joy can overcome anything including the pain your heart is feeling at this very moment.  Remember, Jesus felt and took it all when He hung on the cross for you. Cling to His love and call His name anytime you need Him.  He will be there and He will never leave nor forsake you.  

He is the true joy of this season.  Let's not allow the enemy to ever take that away from us. Remember, you were CALLED to be a Caregiver and your work is unto the Lord.

 

God Himself Will Provide

Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

Genesis 22:7, 8

The closer I walk with God and study the teachings of Jesus the more the Holy Spirit reveals to me through the Word about my own personal struggles and victories.  Take this story for example when God asks Abraham what we all believe to be the unthinkable which was sacrificing his own son.  How ironic that later God would actually be the one who gave up His Son for all of us.

I have read this chapter and these particular verses over and over but just last week they became fresh and exciting to me in an entirely new way.  God has asked something big of me which seems impossible.  I know it won’t be easy and I also don’t have the means for which to do it.  So, I am completely relying upon my trust in Him and His plan and provision.  Don’t get me wrong.  This is NOT an easy time but during it, I have drawn even closer to God and can hear His voice even clearer through daily messages of encouragement and reassurance.  

I love it that Isaac called to his Father.  That is our first step, too.  God tells us repeatedly to call or cry out to Him yet most of the time we barely whisper.  Next, Isaac asked his Father a question.  God never minds our questions and since He is the one who created us I don’t believe the way in which our brains operate is a surprise to Him.  He made us to communicate with Him.  Our Lord is conversational!  It all goes back to being made in His image.  

But now comes the answer which to Isaac didn’t make a lot of sense in the moment but did a little later in his day.  The two were going up a mountain to give a sacrifice to the Lord but to Isaac it seemed they didn’t have one.  Abraham knew that God had asked him to sacrifice Isaac, the son he had waited for so long and loved so much.  God was testing to see if Abraham loved Him more than his own son.  So we read Abraham’s response which explains how “God himself will provide…” even though in that moment it seemed impossible.  In my own moments of waiting I often forget that God is GOD!  I often compare God to a human which is wrong and actually insulting to my Lord.  He is all knowing and the Creator of all.  Because of this, NOTHING is too hard for Him due to the fact He made it all and rules it all.

Just as Abraham readies to sacrifice his own son, God provides a ram in the brush for the offering.  See the wording there.  God provides.  He always does. Even when it’s not done the way we believe it should be and in our timing.  Try and wrap your mind around the idea that God actually knew you before you were created in your mother’s womb, gave you life, loves you, and wants to bless you by providing for you.  After you accept all this for truth life becomes full of joy you can’t explain but want to share.

My Opposition

 

 

Job 23:6(NIV)

  Would he vigorously oppose me?
    No, he would not press charges against me.

Let's be completely real with one another.  Okay?  There are days we all face where it seems as if everything in the world is working against us.  There are days when I actually cry out to the Lord asking if He is still there and if He is why He isn't doing something to help me.  (Remember, I said I was going to be honest and that's not always pretty.)

But that's really never the case when it comes to the Lord.  I always go back to Job because his story is one we all should read repeatedly.  Job actually DID have it all.  God loved him and blessed him but then along came the devil.  Doesn't this sound very familiar even in our own lives?  Well, if not for you, it definitely does for me.  

I think back to the days before my husband was diagnosed with a life threatening heart disease and given 6 months to live.  I was a 32 year old wife to the love of my life, living in my dream neighborhood, being a mommy to my beautiful 3 year old daughter. And on top of all that, I was an elementary school teacher, which had been my dream since childhood.  Life was good.  New cars filled the garage, new furniture stood throughout my home, and I wore the latest fashions. Hence, my pre-Job days.

In less than a year the lifestyle I had known changed for without my husband's generous salary and benefits we could not longer afford to live this life style on a teacher's salary.  I must admit I get down sometimes, even now, wondering when all that was lost will be regained as it was for Job but I also know God has never left us or forgotten us.  He continues to provide for our family on a daily basis and I also believe has much we cannot imagine. In fact He reminds me daily through Jeremiah 33:3.

You see, when we are faced with the question Job had of whether God is opposing us, we must stop and remember He would NEVER "press charges against" us but instead paid our ransom by sacrificing His only precious Son, Jesus.

In the Desert

[ Psalm 63 ] [ A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah. ] You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.

Psalm 63:1NIV

We all understand what this scripture meant to David for he was residing in both a spiritual and physical desert at the time this was penned.  The question I pose to you today is what does this verse speak to your life and your circumstances?  

Unfortunately, I will admit one of the only things I worry about in my life from time to time and experience anxiety from is that of my family's finances.  The enemy works to convince me that it is my obligation and responsibility to provide for my family and that I can never do enough for them in that area.  The truth is it God has not given this task to me for it belongs to Him alone.  Now, yes, I will work and do my part for God honors this but He continues to remind me that He is my family's provider.  So for me, the water within this scripture represents money.

Yes, I actually said the word that Christians don't like to address or confess.  Instead of looking for money in my dry parched bank account, I need to seek God first and keep my eyes on Him.  If and when I am wise enough to do that, He takes care of all our family's financial needs.  He has done it over and over in our family's past and will never leave us or forsake us in the days to come.  

So today I made the choice to focus on Jesus and all He has done, is doing, and will do in my life instead of what I don't have or worry that I won't be able to do.  If He calls me He will equip me.

Blessed Are You

 

Matthew 5:11  “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me."

  

For years I would read this scripture and wondered if Jesus was confused or maybe fatigued from a journey when He made this statement.  Being blessed in my mind could never include insults, persecution, and lies against me.  The problem remained that I continued to miss the most critical portion of the verse which was "because of me."  

I now understand that if another casts an insult or lie against me because I serve and love Jesus Christ, it really is a blessing.  No, not in the way the world defines a blessing but most definitely the way in which heaven sees it.  Remember, when we are obedient to the commands and direction of the Lord, the devil will act quickly in order to derail us and his most used weapons are insults, persecution, and lies.  The Word of God tell us that he is the father of lies.  

What a shock it would be to the next person who insults, persecutes, or lies about you when you confront them by thanking them for the blessing!  What a great way to steal their power to hurt you.  You can do it with the strength of the Lord if only you ask for it.  Jesus is our greatest defender and always will be.  Leave it to Him and forgive.

When a Caregiver Gets Sick

 He gives us strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” —Isaiah 40:29–31

What happens to those being cared for when the caregiver is sick?  This is something that we don't think about until it happens but when it does it isn't pretty.  I always say, "I am not allowed to be sick or feel bad."  In actuality that is true for most caregivers, for they must continue on and make sure things get done. 

One example of this would be our family's last vacation where my husband and I both became very sick with sinus infections.  We both sought help at a local urgent care and were both placed on high power antibiotics and encouraged to rest.  Well, for a heart patient this was twice as serious and my husband felt twice as bad which meant he rested in the hotel room for 2 days.  We even tried to cancel our trip but were told we would lose our money, so we stuck it out. 

For three days I took my antibiotics and pain meds and walked around amusement parks and even spent one day at a water park all for the sake of my 11 year old who was supposed to be celebrating her birthday!  I was miserable and don't remember parts of it, which is a little scary, but I did what I had to do.  That's what caregivers do... even when they're sick.

By Thursday of our week's vacation my husband and I were both a little better and were able to salvage the last few days.  I learned a lot that week.  I learned that caregivers never really get a vacation but I wouldn't have done it any differently even if given the chance.  I take care of my family better than anyone else ever will and there are lots more vacations in our future. 

Ready for Rain

1 Kings 18:41-19:8

Elijah Prays for Rain

41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go get something to eat and drink, for I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!”

42 So Ahab went to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees.

43 Then he said to his servant, “Go and look out toward the sea.”

The servant went and looked, then returned to Elijah and said, “I didn’t see anything.”

Seven times Elijah told him to go and look. 44 Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, “I saw a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand rising from the sea.”

Then Elijah shouted, “Hurry to Ahab and tell him, ‘Climb into your chariot and go back home. If you don’t hurry, the rain will stop you!’”

45 And soon the sky was black with clouds. A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel. 46 Then the Lord gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt[a] and ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel.

It was imperative that I include this entire section of scripture in order to really bring my point home. Today I began to prepare for a something that won't happen until three weeks from now.  Even though I don't know the final outcome I believe God is saying yes and continuing to confirm what is ahead.  So I am acting as if it is already decided and I am moving forward.

One of my dearest friends called me today and when I told her what I was doing she didn't laugh but instead said, "You are being like Elijah. You are just preparing for the rain which God has promised!" What a blessing this comment was to my heart for I struggle daily with doubts and fears about the future and what God truly wants for me.  

Elijah must have looked pretty foolish as he proclaimed the rain was coming and that Ahab was to go ahead and prepare when not one cloud filled the sky.  How odd it had to have been to the servant who went SEVEN times to look for a rain cloud until finally one was found.  What an amazing example Elijah is for me as he never doubted but instead spent his time in preparation and in the end we see that, "the Lord gave special strength to Elijah." I want that same strength and know God will give it if I only ask.