Caring for others can be satisfying and rewarding, while also being emotionally and physically difficult and exhausting, too. Yet, whether we’re parents caring for children, or a spouse caring for a husband or wife, or an adult child caring for a parent, there is much to find joy in. Still, even on good days, caring for others can be tiring, especially on challenging days when we feel stretched to the limits, like we’re operating on automatic mode and barely making it through the day.
As Christians, God is with us to help us. Isaiah 41:10 reminds us, “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you.’”
However, preparing meals, keeping up with laundry, and caring for personal needs and possible medical issues is a daunting task for any person, especially if caring 24/7 for a loved one. As well, often caregivers find themselves feeling ill-prepared or unequipped to take on the responsibility.
So through it all, how do caregivers find joy when feeling on the brink of collapse? Following are five ways God helps us to experience joy in the midst of caring for others.
1. God Provides Us with Refreshment and Satisfaction
God assures us in Jeremiah 31:25 that “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”
So when we’re going 24/7 as a caregiver, especially when days and nights seem endless and non-stop with no breaks in sight, we can turn to God and trust Him to refresh and satisfy us in our weariness. As those who offer care understand, it’s not for the faint of heart, and doing it takes us on our own spiritual journey, where hopefully, we grow in grace and learn while walking through its’ unknowns as we attempt to nurture, direct, and help others through their journeys of dealing with their own wills, challenges, and spiritual growth.
2. God Offers Us Relief
1 Peter 5:7 urges, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”
We weren’t ever created to carry all the responsibility that comes in caring for others by ourselves. God understands the weight of it, and because He does, He stretches out His arms towards us, saying, “Give it all to Me.”
3. God Gives Us Rest
Jesus calls out to us, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
God’s arms are reaching out to us, calling us to draw nearer to Him, not expecting us to be able to carry it on our own or figure it all out by ourselves. He offers us rest from the weariness that comes in being an around-the-clock caregiver, and we can run to Him like a little child who lays their head on their parent’s lap for rest.
4. God Calms Our Fears
Lamentations 3:57 describes how, “You came near when I called You, and You said, ‘Do not fear.’”
Caregivers often face their own fears and insecurities, often unknown to themselves until they encounter them hiding deep within, surprising them at unexpected and uninvited moments, exposing the worst and the best in them all at the same time. During fearful times, we can call on God and know He will come near and free us from our fears.
5. God Lets Us Lean on Him
With God, we don’t have to have all the answers ourselves. As Proverbs 3:5 urges, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”
In looking to Him, God will lead and guide us in making critical and practical caregiving decisions, available to help us and keeping us from wearing ourselves out trying to figure out what to do next. As Jesus describes in John 14:26, the Holy Spirit is available 24/7: “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
Let’s Pray:
Dear Father,
With sincere hearts, we thank You for the opportunities You give us in this life to care for others and for the many blessings it brings to our hearts in doing so. Fill us with Your joy, we ask, as we take care of those who need our love, attention, and assistance. Help us to turn to You for refreshment and to satisfy our hearts, finding relief and rest in You. Teach us to turn to You when fearful thoughts try to overcome us and show us how to lean on You for guidance in all that we do as caregivers.
In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/monkeybusinessimages
Posts