Be not dismayed for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you.
Maybe you are a mom of young children, or you help an aging parent or, like me, care for a special needs child. Caregiving is a part of life. It may be for a season or, if caring for a spouse or child, a lifetime commitment.
According to the U.S. Centers For Disease Control, in 2020, 53 million Americans were caregivers, highlighting those caring for aging parents. That’s more than 1 in 5. That is up from over 43 million in 2015. When caregiving numbers are expanded to include caring for a spouse or child, the number is closer to 100 million.
If we are honest, caregiving can be lonely, isolating, and exhausting. How can we shift our focus from the constant demands to the high calling of caregiving?
First, join God in your purpose. It can help to reframe caregiving as a God-given responsibility instead of a limitation. Have you ever prayed, “God, just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.” We may already be doing it. When we care for and serve others, it pleases Him. Maybe we wrongly assume He wants grander stuff done in front of grander people. That thinking is ours, not God’s. His thinking is, “…I was naked, and you clothed me, I was sick, and you visited me, I was in prison, and you came to me.” Matthew 25:36 (ESV).
Next, explore His resources. Acknowledge we need God’s help in caregiving. We will quickly come to the end of our own strength, but He gives us access to His. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you…” Isaiah 41:10 (ESV).
Lastly, delight in His presence. Caregiving can usher in greater intimacy with God. When the lonely moments come, when we sit alone with a sick loved one in the middle of the night, we are not actually alone. God is with us. Be encouraged by these words, “It is the Lord who goes before you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (ESV).
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So thankful for all who were there when I needed them and that God put them on my pathway when I was caring for Otto. Caring for one another is special!! Courage and strength to all caregivers. Jeanie Griffin 🙏 ❤️