Faith for the Caregiver

 

We recognize November as National Family Caregivers Month to honor the over 40 million
caregivers across the country who support aging parents, ill spouses or other loved ones with
disabilities who remain at home.

 

“Beon your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong,” (1 Corinthians 16:13).

It can be a daily struggle for caregivers, to maintain continual firm faith. We expect caregivers to manage the physical and emotional needs of the ones they care for. Sometimes dealing with spiritual needs can be part of a caregiver’s responsibilities. This is a hard place to be.

The constant cheerleader. Pouring out so much of themselves into a loved one who needs
care. Some without appreciation or recognition. Who cheers the caregiver? It can be a challenge
to stay positive and stand strong.

Many caregivers will not expose their authentic emotions. They bottle their feeling as a
means of protection against experiencing the hurt and pain. Other caregivers may become
depressed and experience hopelessness.

Caring for a loved one can be a constant reminder of suffering and pain. The negative
health reports, the seemingly inexhaustible complaints, and watching a loved one struggle may
weaken the caregiver’s faith.

In my decade of caregiver for my husband, there were instances I experienced despair.
But it was those moments that reminded me of the faithfulness of God. When my anguish was
great, and it felt as if God had left me to complete the task on my own. It was my faith in Him
that reminded me he is still with me. Faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that every promise
He gave is true.  In my weak moments, he was my strength, and I trusted that He would not let
me fall.

Caregivers, he is with you. Hold fast to your faith, and your conviction. Everything you
believed to be true about God when the light is shining is true in the dark moments. He is
still there. Just when you think you can’t go any farther, remind yourself of one of the many
promises in His Word. Stand strong, the truths from God’s Word are sure.

 

Sing Anyway

Psalm 137:4 “How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?”

During the exile, the Israelites gathered at the River of Babylon. It was a place where they came together to mourn. The land was unfamiliar to them; it wasn’t what they were used to. Have you ever been in an unfamiliar place in life? Like a global pandemic! 

Our world is in a strange season. Picking up your mask is as normal as grabbing the car keys when you leave the house. Laying out your clothes for the next day now includes finding a mask that matches your fashion colors. While many are grieving lost, of loved ones, jobs, income, and the list goes on and on our first thought is to complain, not sing.

While Israel was in captivity, their captors asked them to sing. This was a way to torment those who were already feeling misplaced. There were no temples for the Israelites to worship. Their allegiances was to Jerusalem. When I read Psalm 137 I can identify with being in a season where a song is the last thing on my mind. My first thought is to complain, but then I remember that even in the tough season God is with me. Knowing that He promised never to leave me, Hebrews 13:5 KJV: For He hath said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake.” Scripture records the same words in the Old Testament 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.”

Whether it be physical or emotional turmoil, God promised to be with you. In this current season,  there is much anxiety. We just want it to be over. Surely seven months is long enough. Only God knows when the pandemic will end. When it started earlier this year, I never imagined it would continue this long. I thought maybe a few weeks and the season would change, after all that’s what seasons do. We saw Spring, Summer, and now Fall. The seasons of the year have changed, but we remain in an unfamiliar place.

In those moments when you feel as if some event in life is holding you hostage. You will not feel like singing. It may be grief from the death of a loved one, a divorce, or another significant life change. Know that God is with you. Even with the great shifting our world has experienced, we can still sing. Not because of the outcome, because we don’t know when it will end. But we can sing because we know the God who controls everything. We can sing a song in a strange season because God has not changed, and He is with us even in the dark moments of life.

Go ahead, pick up the microphone, or lift your voice and sing.