From Strength to Strength: Scriptures to Encourage You in the New Year

 

Living from Strength to Strength

When our middle son suffered a spinal cord injury in 1997, we refused both a push for euthanasia and a nursing home for him. In more than twenty-five years of caregiving, we've never looked back. We have learned much about the value of life, the comfort or our God, and the joy of serving a beloved son. 

Like all families, ours has weathered its share of storms. 

We had no idea how we were going to navigate the changes in our lives as a result of Kevin's injury. The path ahead seemed impassible. In fact, we were told repeatedly it would be impossible to care for him at home. But we stepped into the unknown, and God met us there. It has been a long and fearsome crossing through the valley of the shadow, but the Lord has been our light every step of the way. We have been blessed and honored to be a part of God's great work of lifegiving. Jesus...and Kevin...have taught us much about living out our faith in brokenness. 

In the coming year, we pray that the Lord will bring you peace, comfort, and strength as you arise each day to care for a loved one. May you rest in the knowledge you are God's hands and feet and heart for the hurting. As you sacrifice for others, may you remember the Savior's sacrifice for you and rejoice that He cared that much. 

Below are eleven Bible verses we lean on in the tough times. May you be blessed and strengthened for your caregiving journey in the coming new year!

1. Psalm 34:5-7

I sought the LORD and He answered me,

And rescued me from all my fears.

They looked to Him and were radiant,

And their faces will never be ashamed.

This wretched man cried out, and the LORD heard him,

And saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him.

And rescues them.

2. Psalm 34:18

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted

And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

3. Hebrews 6:10

For God is not unjust so as to forget your work

and the love which you have shown toward His name,

in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.

4. Romans 8:18

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time

 are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 

5. Ephesians 6:11

Put on the full armor of God,

so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

6. Romans 14:4

To his own master he stands or falls;

and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

7. 2 Chronicles 16:9

For the eyes of the LORD roam throughout the earth,

so that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.

 

8. Matthew 25:35-40

For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat;

 I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; 

I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 

naked, and you clothed Me; 

I was sick, and you visited Me; 

I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 

Then the righteous will answer Him,

 ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?

 And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 

And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 

And the King will answer and say to them, 

‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’

9. Matthew 11:28-29

Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls. 

For my yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.

10. Psalm 18:2

The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer,

 My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;

 My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

11. 1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable,

 always excelling in the work of the Lord, 

knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

15 Scriptures that Inspire Us to Live Boldly for God

When our days are gray, there's nothing like God's Word to remind us of God's strength and comfort. When we remember all He is and all He does for us, we are inspired to trust Him and to live boldly for Christ. Refresh and embolden your day with these fifteen verses from the Bible. (All Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible.)

The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation;
This is my God, and I will praise Him;
My father’s God, and I will extol Him.
-Exodus 15:2

I have set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
-Psalm 16:8

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 18:2

O taste and see that the Lord is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
-Psalm 34:8

Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;
He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
-Psalm 55:22

In my trouble I cried to the Lord,
And He answered me.
-Psalm 120:1

On the day I called, You answered me;
You made me bold with strength in my soul.
-Psalm 138:3

The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
The righteous runs into it and is safe.
-Proverbs 18:10

Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
For the Lord God is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.
-Isaiah 12:2

The Lord is good,
A stronghold in the day of trouble,
And He knows those who take refuge in Him.
-Nahum 1:7

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
-Matthew 11:28

Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”
-Mark 10:27

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
-John 14:27

Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
-1 Peter 5:7

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
-James 1:2-4

You CAN Thrive

"That you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God." -Ephesians 3:17-19

Rooted in Love: You CAN Thrive

 Practical Tips for Successful Caregiving

When our son was paralyzed in a fall back in 1997, we were told it would be “impossible” to care for him at home. We were determined that he wasn't going to a nursing facility, though. He came home with us after his discharge from the hospital, and he has been at home ever since. We are thankful for the support of family, friends, and the medical community which have helped make the “impossible” a reality. Every day we are thankful to a faithful God who has taught us this:

“For with God nothing will be impossible.” – Luke 1:37 NKJV

“Possible,” however, doesn’t mean “easy.” Caregiving is a marathon, an ongoing investment in the life of another human being. Since our son’s medical needs require twenty-four-hour supervision, it has been imperative that we develop strategies to cope with the pressure.

Over the years, I’ve learned some vital practical tips for keeping sane. Today I want to share one tip that has helped me.

Simplify your home. 

I know that's lots easier to say than to do. Especially if you're a new caregiver, you may feel like you have the energy for anything else. But life beyond caregiving does go on. Along with caring for your loved one, there are bills to pay, birthdays to remember, and appointments to make. I recently had to spend hours digging through twenty years of non-digital photos for a memorial service for a relative. Nothing was in the right place. Nothing was dated. What a mess! It was my reminder that a couple of simple changes could have kept this from happening.

Hopefully, I learned my lesson.

Trust me. Life is easier if you get organized.

1. Use what’s on hand. 

Get shoe boxes (or plastic tubs if you want to invest in them). Label them “Pics,” “2015 Receipts,” etc. Set them in a place where they will be easily accessible. When you run across a receipt, photo, or anything else you need to save, throw it in the right box right then and there.

2. Label photos immediately. 

Take the extra 30 seconds to write a date and any other pertinent info on the back of non-digital photos before you toss them into the abyss of a box. Believe me, there will come a time someone will thank you for that.

3. File, file, file. 

Place important papers and medical information in file folders and 3-ring binders. Don’t turn this into a project. Just grab some folders at the store, label them, and put them in a drawer or box that you can keep handy. The important thing is to get into the habit of tossing things in the right place right away, before they get lost in a pile or, God forbid, thrown away.

If you’re tech savvy, you can take screenshots or digital pics of bills and papers and file them digitally. Be sure to back them up on a system like the cloud, external hard drive, or flash drive.

The important thing is to know yourself. Don’t set up a system that you’re not going to use. I’m old-school, and that’s why I love using file folders and boxes. It’s so easy to just pitch them in their proper place. But do what works for you.

4. Communicate. 

Keep a large calendar in the kitchen with a pen and sticky notes nearby. This way, family members post their appointments and events on the calendar so everybody knows what’s going on for a particular day. 

Let's get started!

Just doing these things should help relieve the mental burden of trying to coordinate a home and caregiving duties. We'll be sharing more as we explore how to survive - and even thrive - as caregivers.

20 Encouraging Bible Verses For Caregivers: Part 4

• "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you." {Hebrews 13:5}
  
  
• "The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him. The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him." {Lamentations 3:24-25}
  
  
• "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." {Galatians 6:9-10}
  
  
• "I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed." {Psalm 34:4-5}
  
  
• "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" {Psalm 34:8}
  
  
  Part 1 of 20 Encouraging Bible Verses For Caregivers
  Part 2 of 20 Encouraging Bible Verses For Caregivers
  Part 3 of 20 Encouraging Bible Verses For Caregivers

20 Encouraging Bible Verses For Caregivers: Part 3

• "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." {1 Corinthians 15:58}
• "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose." {Romans 8:28}
• "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." {Romans 8:37-39}
• "Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." {Lamentations 3:21-23}
• "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." {Colossians 3:16-17}
  
  Part 1 of 20 Encouraging Bible Verses For Caregivers
  Part 2 of 20 Encouraging Bible Verses For Caregivers
  Part 4 of 20 Encouraging Bible Verses For Caregivers

The Invisible Man: When We're Feeling Alone

Their faces smile back at me from the Facebook page. They're posing for the camera at a local restaurant. They swam and laughed at the annual "Chicks in the Sticks" camp-out. They're planning a girls' trip to the coast. Events at which I wasn't invited and knew nothing about.

Things I used to do before I became a full-time caregiver and an invisible (wo)man.

Not that I could do any of those things, anyway. My job doesn't come with vacation time. My husband, youngest daughter, and I carry the duties of caring for my quadriplegic son largely without respite. Our other children help whenever they can, but the day-to-day responsibilities are ours.

And I wouldn't have it any other way. I love my job. I love caring for our son. The gains far exceed any sacrifices we've had to make along the way. Since my son's accident seventeen years ago, I've become a certified nurses' aide and then a licensed practical nurse. I've written two books. I speak regularly to others about God's work in our lives. My life is busy and fulfilling.

But sometimes, I see the abandon with which others do things that would take days of planning for me, things which are totally impossible for us now. They all look so carefree. So abundantly full of time and energy and each other.

So totally out of my reach.

Recently my children arranged a rare two-day outing for my husband and I to celebrate our anniversary. As we took in the sights of a nearby city, we saw vacationing families everywhere. People with boats and cabins and time on their hands. I asked my husband, the one who stays up every night to watch over our son as he sleeps on the ventilator, if it bothered him that we didn't have the lives of most people our age. I knew how much he used to look forward to retirement and a chance to travel the country.

He turned to me with a smile and said, "No, I don't. You and are doing something together that is important for our son and for God."

Wow.

How could I forget that Facebook and television and the world I see around me aren't the true reality, but snapshots of lives suffering their own hardships? Everyone feels alone at times.

"Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else."
-Galatians 6:4 NIV


While it's true that caregivers often work alone and behind the scenes, we aren't really invisible. We're the point men in a fierce battle for the lives of those who are vulnerable, disabled, or ill. We give hope to the living and comfort to the dying.

Yes, it can be a lonely job. But we're never invisible. At least not to the ones for whom we care and with whom we walk side-by-side.

And to the God who has called us to this wonderful journey.