CAREGIVING
CAREGIVERS WALK THEIR OWN UNIQUE PATH THROUGH CHRONIC ILLNESS
A caregiver’s role can be both rewarding and exhausting, difficult and joy-filled, meaningful and frustrating, isolating and inspiring. Step into hope, find purpose, embrace worth, and encounter God’s joy.
About Caregiving
More than 20% of the population provides care for a loved one.
Caregivers learn to navigate doctor’s appointments, medications, care plans, and the emotional needs of their loved ones. They do this while balancing work and other family responsibilities. This leaves them weary, often feeling isolated, alone, and forgotten.
Caregivers often neglect their own health needs and have an increased risk for chronic illness, anxiety, and depression.
Self-Care Saturdays • Little Moments of TLC for YOU!
Relax with an audiobook.
Find a comfy spot and enjoy an hour or two engaged in a great audio book.
Write down 3 things you like about yourself.
You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are a child of God, the image-bearer of the King. You are so loved! Today, write down three things you like about yourself, how God created you, and who you are in Him.
Steep and savor your favorite flavor of tea today.
“You are the God of the universe Who hears everyone, sees everything, and commands the world. Yet at the soft whisper of my voice, You turn Your ear to me and savor every word I say as if it’s the only thing You have to do.” (Kendall Hiatt)
Watch the sunset.
Today, as the sun begins to set, consider these verses: “You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.” (Psalm 65:8b)
Scroll through old photos.
Page through a photo album today or pull out your phone and scroll through your photos. Reminisce. Remember. Thank God for every treasured moment.
Engage your hands!
Engage your hands today! Pick up a spade, thread a needle, grab a hammer and nails, plunge your hands in the dirt, or wave to a neighbor you haven’t seen much this spring. Engage with your world.
Treat yourself to good poetry today.
Today, read a few lines from your favorite poem — or savor some of the most beautiful poetry ever written: the Psalms. “…for me, the Psalms express the same delight in God which made David dance.” (C.S. Lewis)
Enjoy the simple pleasure of cloud watching.
Today, enjoy the simple pleasure of cloud watching. Notice their movements across the sky, their speed, their shapes. What do you see?
Build a jigsaw puzzle. It improves mental health, short-term memory, and visual processing.
“God’s will is like a jigsaw puzzle, you won’t be able to see the whole picture until all the pieces are together.” (Danny L. Deaube’) • Build a puzzle. Let each piece remind you of the myriad details God is orchestrating in your life.
Snuggle up and nap.
Sleep is self-care too! Today, lie down, snuggle up, and close your eyes. Sleep is good for the mind, body, and soul. Savor a nap.
Sing along to your favorite music today.
We sing because all of creation sings. Job 38:7 reminds us that “the morning stars sang together,” and Hillsong United worships with the words, “If creation sings Your praises, so will I.” Today, join all of creation and sing!
Dance with language. Dream with words.
“I write about joy because I know sorrow…I write about gratitude because I am thankful – for all of it.” (Kristin Armstrong) • Friends, today let the words hit the paper. Pick up a pen, open the floodgates, set them free.
Send a fun little care package to someone you love.
Today, have a little fun gathering sweet surprises to pack and ship to someone you love.
Listen to a sermon on-line.
What better way to care for yourself today than by listening to an on-line sermon? Rest your body, captivate your mind, and engage your heart.
Listen to a TED Talk.
Why not listen to a TED Talk today? Are TED talks unfamiliar to you? TED Talks (18 minutes or less) started in 1984 and now include thousands of speakers on hundreds of topics in more than 100 languages.
Spend 10 minutes looking at 5 beautiful things around you.
“Beauty is God’s handwriting … drink it in, simply and earnestly, with all your eyes; it is … a cup of blessing.” (Charles Kingsley) • Today set a timer. Look for five beautiful things. Thank God for them.
Treat yourself to a piece of good chocolate, a bouquet of fresh flowers, a new books, or a great cup of tea or coffee. You’re worth it!
Take a moment to celebrate you today – your heart, your character, the image of the One you’re made in. You are treasured. You are loved. You are delighted over with singing — for YOU are a child of the One True King.
Sit in the sunshine for a few minutes today.
“Sunlight cues special areas in the retina, which triggers the release of serotonin.” (Rachel Nall, RN, BSN, CCRN) • Step outside and boost your body’s “feel-good” hormone today.
Write encouraging messages on sticky notes.
Take a few minutes to write a short encouraging message to yourself on a sticky note. Then hang it where you’ll see it often because YOU matter!
Write a short (3-4 sentence) review for your favorite restaurant, coffee shop, small business, book, blog, podcast, radio show, or non-profit today.
Your words matter! Today, write a short review of your favorite restaurant, coffee shop, small business, or non-profit. Let them know what you love! It will mean more than you know.
Star Gaze • “He counts the stars and calls them all by name.” Psalm 147:4
“You are a God of winds and tides. Of journeys and storms and navigation by stars and faith.” (Lisa Wingate) • Look up into the night sky, and remember that “He counts the stars and calls them all by name.” (Psalm 147:4)
Caring for our own hearts isn’t selfishness; it’s how we begin to love.
“Caring for our own hearts isn’t selfishness; it’s how we begin to love.” (John Eldredge)
Snuggle up with your pet.
“In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” (Job 12:10) • Snuggle up with your beloved pet today. You’ll both be glad you did.
Read these verses over yourself today. You are…Enough, Strong, Capable, Chosen, Never Alone, Always Loved.
You are so loved! — even if you don’t feel it today. Why? Because you are God’s – made in His image, breathed into life, redeemed by His Son.
Today, grab a blanket, get comfy, and watch your favorite movie.
Do you have a favorite movie? A favorite genre? Grab a blanket and your favorite snack, settle in, and enjoy your favorite movie.
Beautiful music is the art of the prophets.
Today, turn up the music and let it fill your soul. (Love notes from God)
Donate to your favorite charity and tell them why.
Today, donate to your favorite charity and tell them why. Sharing your “why” is a huge and often-unexpected encouragement.
Pack a picnic lunch and eat it indoors.
Today, pack yourself a picnic. Enjoy it in a chair beside the window, on a blanket on the lawn, at a local park, or relaxing on your bed. A picnic is a reminder of simple summer days. Relax. Refresh. Enjoy.
Do something delightful for someone you love today.
“Surprise and delight and connection are remarkable.” (Seth Godin) • Today, surprise and delight someone you love. It will strengthen and deepen your relationship.
Pray for someone who is hurting.
“Prayer is one of God’s most gracious gifts, a powerful way to care for others. In prayer, we pull close those who are far away. Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath – we cannot live without it.” (Tim Jennings)
Lace up your shoes and go for a walk today.
Lace up your shoes, step out the door, and walk around the block, through your neighborhood, or even up and down the aisles of your favorite store today. Every step makes a difference.
Have a good laugh.
“Humour is … a prelude to faith; laughter is the beginning of prayer.” (Reinhold Niebuhr) • Friends, laughter is a gift. Unwrap it.
Today, find three things to give away, throw away, or recycle.
Sort through a stack. Clear off a counter. Clean out a closet. If you aren’t using it, be a blessing to one who will.
Challenge your brain with a riddle or word puzzle.
Today, challenge your brain with a riddle or word puzzle. Download a puzzle app. Read a book of riddles. Google “riddles and answers.” Text a riddle to your son, daughter, grandchild, or friend. Laughter is good medicine!
Bake and enjoy homemade cookies fresh from the oven.
The smell of cookies fresh from the oven is a warm and welcoming invitation to breathe deep and savor the love. When was the last time you baked simply to enjoy the fruit of your labor? Maybe today is the day!
Prioritize and Minimize • Simplify your To-Do List.
Prioritize and Minimize • Simplify your To-Do List. Today, make space for what matters. What is necessary? What can go?
Today, declutter your wardrobe, junk drawer, or coat closet.
“The more we remove the clutter from our lives, the more we’ll have space and time to spend with our Father.” (tounearth.com) • “Jesus modeled a very simple life.” (Rick Warren)
Celebrate ordinary moments and unexpected victories.
Today, celebrate a small, often-overlooked victory. Did you get out of bed? 𝕍𝕚𝕔𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪! Did you take a shower? 𝕍𝕚𝕔𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪! Did you make dinner? 𝕍𝕚𝕔𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪! Every single, small, ordinary victory is a precious step forward.
Write a letter to a friend or loved one today.
#PenToPaper is one of our favorite programs! Today, encourage a friend or loved one by sending a card or letter. Need some inspiration — or a free stationery starter set? We offer both!
Spring: the music of open windows.
Take a few minutes today and step outside or gaze out a window. Notice the birds or the budding trees, listen for spring peepers or children at play, feel the sun’s warmth or the gentle breeze. As you breathe in God’s beauty, thank Him for today
Today, pour yourself a cup of tea, find a comfy sat, and call a friend. You’ll both be blessed.
Pour yourself a cup of your favorite hot coffee, tea, or cocoa, settle into a comfortable chair under your softest blanket, and call a friend. You’ll both be blessed.
Blog Posts
Running Out Of Sympathy? 4 Things To Do
It is physically impossible to maintain a state of emotion (whatever it is) indefinitely. In one sense, it is natural that we don’t feel very sympathetic any longer.
If You Ever Need to Talk: Finding Comfort and Empathy
Parents of chronically ill kids are the best people. They’re the best at encouraging without offering advice, at listening without trying to one-up with their own story. And they’re the best at offering empathy that comes from having walked a similar road. I could learn from these parents.
A Caregiver’s Survival Guide: How to Stay Healthy When Your Loved One is Sick
Kay Marshall Strom brings experience and compassion to caregiving. Her practical ideas for how to meet your own needs for energy, patience, strength, wisdom, peace, and creativity will carry you through many difficult days.
A Spirituality of Caregiving
Henri J.M. Nouwen
If you provide care for another person, whether you are a family member or a professional caregiver, you know that caregiving is hard, sometimes unappreciated work. However, have you ever considered that it isn't easy to be the care receiver?
Ambushed by Grace: Help and Hope on the Caregiving Journey
Shelly Beach
Caregiving is probably the hardest work you will ever do. Yet it can also change your heart and transform your life. Experienced caregiver Beach offers practical help and spiritual insights to those facing the challenges of caregiving.
Being There: How to Love Those Who Are Hurting
Dave Furman
We all know people suffering from sickness, disability, depression, or grief. Where are we to find strength in such circumstances? Dave Furman offers support, encouragement, and wisdom for those called to care for others in need, equipping us to effectively care for the hurting and pointing us to the strength that God provides.
Blessings & Prayers for Caregivers
Annetta Dellinger
Find encouragement for the realities of daily caregiving challenges. Through brief Gospel-focused readings and Scripture verses, this small book offers refreshment and renewal for the exhausted caregiver. Each reading focuses on Jesus as the source of our hope and strength. Blessings and Prayers for Caregivers can be tucked in a pocket or a purse to go with you wherever you go and to be at your fingertips whenever you have a minute or two and need a word of encouragement.
Don't Sing Songs to a Heavy Heart: How to Relate to Those Who are Suffering
Kenneth C. Haugk, PhD
Haugk has written an essential guide on how to care for and relate to people as they encounter difficult times in life. This book draws on extensive research of those who have experienced various kinds of suffering in their lives, offering key insights and suggestions of what to say and do—and what not to say or do—when people are hurting. With its biblical foundation, compassionate approach, and concrete ideas, this book will help you bring God’s loving presence to hurting people when they need it most.
Invisible Illness, Visible God: When Pain Meets the Power of an Indestructible Life
Merry Marinello
Are you ready to find something more than just a lesson to learn from painful experiences? Are you ready to meet God in a deeper, more meaningful way? In the package of suffering, God wraps a most surprising, precious gift: Himself. If you find yourself struggling to see God, may the meditations in this book carry you to his arms of love and his throne of grace.
Not Alone: Encouragement for Caregivers
Neil E. Noonan
Caregivers have a front-row seat to suffering. Helping someone (most likely a close loved one) through disease, pain, frailty, and death exacts a tremendous toll. We don't want to think about it, feeling inadequate and overwhelmed with despair in the midst of it. Yet we must somehow pull it together and press on.
The Amazon buttons are affiliate links, which means if you click on the link and purchase the item, Chronic Joy will receive an affiliate commission.
Caregiving calls us to lean into love
“Caregiving often calls us to lean into love we didn’t know possible.” Tia Walker
Caregiving is a gift of great love.
“Caregiving is a gift of great love.” Melodee Claassen
Caregiver is a gift.
“Caregiver isn’t a noun or a verb. It’s a gift.”
Care is … the source of human tenderness.
“Care is … the source of human tenderness.” Rollo May
The simple act of caring is heroic.
“The simple act of caring is heroic.” Edward Albert
You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience..
“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the things which you think you cannot do.” Eleanor Roosevelt
Caregiving is a constant learning experience
“Caregiving is a constant learning experience.” Vivian Frazier