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Caregiving may be Thankless but Service is Never in Vain
When we feel that caregiving is thankless, this meditation reminds us that our work is not in vain.
I hope that this devotional is helpful regardless of whether you are a Christian or not, and that you will be inspired by the devotional to "give yourselves fully" to the responsibilities of a caregiver even during rough patches--or for some of us, when the entire patch has been and will continue to be rough:
"Work for the Lord
By: Vivian Bricker
Bible Reading:
'Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain' (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Like most people, I have had many different jobs. Some of these jobs I really enjoyed, but others, not so much. However, in every job, I have tried to do my best. For example, a few years ago I worked at an inn. It was extremely difficult, since I struggle with contamination-type OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder).
The responsibility of an assistant innkeeper means cleaning anything and everything—changing bed sheets, washing bed sheets, cleaning bathrooms, washing floors, dusting, and any other housework that needs to be done. As someone with OCD, this was incredibly stressful. However, by the grace of God, I lasted the entire summer. I tried my best every day, and I know that I served the Lord through my work...."
I hope that all of us will last the "entire summer," however long that may be in our individual journey.
George's Wife
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Just to see you smile
I'd do anything that you wanted me to
When all is said and done
I'd never count the cost, it's worth all that's lost
Just to see you smile
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7 ReactionsSorry about the truncated post. (The letter "W" is missing at the start of the first paragraph, and the words "even during" were inadvertly deleted between " caregiver" and "rough" in the second paragraph.)
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3 ReactionsThank you for this. I have been reading "Grace for the Unexpected Journey" by Deborah Barr. It is a 60-day devotional for caregivers of loved ones w/dementia. I only have a couple days of the book left... I wish she had written it for 365 days. Perhaps I will just keep re-reading it.
Thank you for an extra day of devotion.
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3 ReactionsI love every word of this post...but the last two words,"George's wife" meant the most to me and were the most precious. Thank you for sharing.....I am committing this verse to memory.
I also love 1st Corinthians 13:7,8,13.
"Love
bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things,
ENDURES all things.
Love NEVER ENDS.
So now faith, hope and live abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. "
The words ENDURES and NEVER ENDS have kept me going through some very rough times. May God richly bless all of us as we go through each day doing the astronomically challenging task of meeting the many needs of our loved ones...we can do this...
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6 Reactions@teacher502
“Yes, we can,” as Obama memorably declared in 2008.
Thanks sharing the reading from Corinthians, and for the reassurance that together, "we can do this."
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4 ReactionsSee what sleep deprivation does to our brain?
Sorry I left off the word "for " (between "Thanks" and "sharing").
P.S. If some of you readers think that I need a caregiver for myself, you're probably right.
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2 Reactions@georgescraftjr, edits made to your post. 🙂
@colleenyoung
Colleen,
Thanks for being a comforting presence to this forum. Your conscientiouness is admirable, and much appreciated.
George's Wife
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