Caregivers Need To Be Encouraged -{1 Corinthians 12:25}

Jesus on the Cross, spoke to John to take care of His Mother. Three from the circumcision proved to be an “encouragement” to Paul in Colossians 4:11. The word “encouragement” is the particular word that was used to speak of “medicine that relieved pain.” They had come to deposit care to Paul who was in need of relief. The story of the Good Samaritan. A man was beaten and left to lie by the side of the road, two “religious” people walked by, but this man stooped, stooped helped the man and left him in a place, and promised if more money was needed to take care of him, that he would do so. Think about David and Mephibosheth, who was so afraid thinking David would kill him because he had been related to the evil king Saul. He was lame in both feet, But David on account of his friendship with Saul’s son Jonathan sent for Mephibosheth and had him sit at the king’s table and land restored to him.

Caregivers usually operate away from the public gaze. They work hard to take care of another. Caregivers are often the ones who carry the load. The physical load, financial load, emotional load, spiritual load, the taking care of arranging medical care and medicines as well as trying to encourage the rest of the family.

Step forward my wife. She never signed up for the chronic, life-threatening disease that has caused me to have 12 deathbed experiences in 15 years. Raising a family and trying to look out for their emotional well-being in the midst. Children who at times it has got all too much for them. In my early years of being bed ridden with this muscle disease, she would come and sit by my bed. She was the picture of serenity…. speaking if I could carry a conversation, but often too weak to. Yet, daily she came and sat by my side. Five children under twelve she was seeking to raise. Later I would find out she would fall apart after seeing me, but never in my presence. She was thoughtful, considerate, and trying to organize, hospitals, medicines and when my mind began to go she came up with a ay for me to take my meds and not overdose by putting a chart on the wall a color for each med I should take and what time around the clock. It cost her to care. But care she did. Great will be her reward!

So my exhortation to you today, is you may not understand as you yourself may not have been involved in such life-altering chronic events. Perhaps you have prayed for the sick person and maybe even stopped persevering because you saw your prayers not answered the way you believed, “God was obligated” to “click His heels” and do what you demanded- so you have thrown in the towel! But how does that help the caregiver and the family members? It doesn’t. Romans 15:4- says to “persevere and through the encouragement of the Scriptures you might have hope.- 15:5- “God who gives perseverance and encouragement.”

During my illness and thirteen months in bed with the weight of a bed sheet on my body too much and causing pain, I prayed for someone to cut the yard… One day I heard a lawnmower at the back of the house someone was cutting the grass! Cindee said a man came to the door and had heard about my illness and wanted to cut the grass. He did this for months right up to the point before his wife gave birth to a baby! He heard about a need. He acted on it and he exhibited the love of Christ. That is caregiving. It is practical! I never saw him as I was bedridden an to this day I do not know his name I only Know the LORD provided and used this man’s kindness to be a caregiver!

TRUE, THE CAREGIVER does not often get recognition for their labor of love. Indeed in some cases, the sick person is oblivious to all the different “hats” their spouse, or parents wear in order to lay down their lives to take care of those whom many in society would discard!

One Dr said that Alzheimer’s patients cannot at times remember the kindness you have shown and in his estimation, it is an opportunity to “express unconditional love to them. There will be no thanks, no remembrance but yet you choose to love and take care of them. You so it for the LORD Jesus’ sake. He sees. He knows. He will hand forth rewards in due time, for as you have done to the least of His servants He considers it is in exact proportion to Him. They cannot thank you, or acknowledge you as their mind has failed to remember. Yet love stoops to serve those who can no longer serve themselves{think on that!}

My own Journey included years and years, of misdiagnosis and then when finally diagnosed, the treatment was a concoction of experiments that were horrific. As a result, I began to think, when I hear someone is sick, I often look to see who is carrying the load? Are their children in the situation? For they too suffer and are often forgotten as is the main caregiver- who needs prayer, who in their own frail state grows weary, exhausted, and need help.

CAREGIVERS COULD DO WITH A TIME OUT TO RECHARGE THEIR BATTERIES before going back into their new “ab-norm,”-a caregiver and in some cases, they are a bride. THEY need PRAYERS, A COMPASSIONATE EAR. THEY NEED practical HELP. TO GET INVOLVED “COSTS”- YOUR LIFE! Or in the case of a husband, THEY TOO NEED A BREAK from taking care of HIS SICK LOVED ONE, TO HAVE SOMEONE TO LOOK FORWARD TO, when they can go for a cup of coffee, knowing someone is sitting in with their spouse and taking care of them. Can you help someone, by using some skill you have, some time you have?

1. Deliberately commit to PRAY for the Caregiver and children that God would strengthen them inwardly, that they might know the love of CHRIST for them.

2. -Do you know anyone who is in chronic illness? You have prayed…but are you persevered in praying?

Application –

3. – ARE YOU ASKING PERTINENT QUESTIONS SUCH AS”WHAT CAN WE DO THAT WOULD HELP YOU?”

4. – BE AS THE THREE WHO CAME TO Paul WHOM he WROTE WERE AS MEDICINE THAT RELIEVED HIS PAIN

5. – “ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER…CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER…OUTDO ONE ANOTHER IN HONOR” THOUGHTS FROM HIS WORD TO HELP CHANGE OR FOCUS TO LIFT UP THE CAREGIVER- WHO ARE THE UNSUNG HEROES OF THE FAITH

REMEMBER THE CAREGIVER. REMEMBER THE CHILDREN- REMEMBER THE LORD’S DESIGN FOR YOU- “Greater love has no man than this than to lay down his life.” As dramatic as the scene is there is a glorious hope of one day seeing Him{1John 2:1- 3:1-3}

Look out for the hurting, dont be as the Pharisees who walked across the road because the man in the ditch was an inconvenience!

“Love your neighbor”- CAREGIVERS CAN BE GREAT BLESSINGS.

I am and have been a recipient of CAREGIVERS- AND I AM THANKFUL.

I HOPE THIS HELPS YOU. I WRITE THIS THROUGH PAIN AND SHARE EXHAUSTION, THAT hopefully you will not lose heart in doing good, and for others of you to get involved in helping those who are in need!

TO THE CAREGIVER- THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR LOVE THAT OFTEN GOES UNNOTICED- BUT NEVER BY HIM!!

KNOW YOUR LABOR IS NOT IN VAIN IN THE LORD!

Loving others for -JESUS SAKE{2 Cor 4:5}

CAREGIVERS NEED TO BE CARED FOR…will you seek to be a participator rather than a spectator? “…care for one another.” { 1 Cor 12:25}