Pray On Two Knees!

Sometimes you're up. Sometimes you're down. You're rarely in-between.

When will your soul feel some relief?

Try bending your knees... In prayer, that is.

You see, we are not meant to carry our burdens all ourselves. That's what Jesus is for. He's called Savior for a reason.

One Came To Save

In very early history, everyone had to fend for themselves. Yes, there were believers back then. But if you weren't careful, or if you were careless, you would end up being judged on your own works and ways.

But God.

But God, in His majesty, had mercy on us and sent us Jesus. He is our advocate with The Father and because of Him, we have perpetual help.

Say It With Prayer

You can't talk about caregiving without mentioning hardship. The very nature of all that we do is hard.

It's hard to watch a loved one's health, abilities and capabilities diminish.

It's hard not to worry when you find your parent wandering around the house aimlessly in the middle of the night…and you have to check them over to make sure they hadn't hurt themselves.

It's hard to remember all of the little daily things you need to do. The right medications at the right time. The baths. The meals. The doctor appointments. The activities for mind and body. The endless clean-ups.

What's easy is losing ourselves in the daily tasks because they feel like chores, rather than loving gestures from us to our parents.

One Who Is Faithful

Many people disappoint us. Some hurt us in various ways. But there is only one who is totally, one thousand percent faithful, and that is Jesus.

He's so faithful that when He left this earth and went to heaven, He made sure we were covered by leaving us The Holy Spirit.

How selfless is that?

But guess what? As caregivers, we are His extensions. We're kind of like human mini-versions of Him. (Very mini- but versions all the same.)

So part of what that means, is we must be faithful in return. No matter how rough the journey. And if you've ever felt Jesus' love around you or in your life, then you know what true faithfulness feels like.

Gone But Not Forgotten

Our parents may have gotten older, but we remember how they were.

We remember how they woke us up each day so we wouldn't be late for school. How they made us chicken soup when we had a bad cold, and we felt like we were dying. How they encouraged us to achieve those goals that seemed unattainable or unlikely... (Could I really draw like a world-class artist?)

Yes, Time has taken away some rare and important things; but Time cannot and never will be able to take away Our Lord. He's here to stay.

Let's Be Like Him

In the same way that little children follow the examples of their parents, we can follow the example of our ultimate parent: God The Father

Of course, you know where this is leading, right?

As caregivers, we are like parents to our parents. So in that way, we must set a good example, and we must be someone they can count on. They need us. Whether or not they are able to thank us for what we do.

Is it realistic to feel happy about all that we do? Maybe not. But one thing's for sure, we can't go this journey alone. No way!

That's why we must use our greatest asset in times like these, which is prayer.

And the best kind or prayers are those that have us right where we should be: on our knees. How else are we going to be able to look up and see the stars?

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