Encouragement for Caregivers: Part 12

A Caregiver’s Reassurance
-Roy Lessin, Prayers and Promises for Caregivers

God wants you to move through this day with a quiet heart,
An inward assurance that He is in control,
A peaceful certainty that your life is in His hands,
A deep trust in His plan and purposes,
A thankful disposition toward all that He allows.

It is important for a caregiver to know that God has not called you to the place of perfect service, but to the place of faithful service; not to the place of work without rest, but to the place of rest in your work; not to the place of making everyone happy, but to the place of pleasing Him.
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©2020 Roy Lessin, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Encouragement for Caregivers: Part 11

A Caregiver’s Resolve
-Roy Lessin, Prayers and Promises for Caregivers

By God’s grace and the strength that the Holy Spirit supplies, I resolve:

• To look upon this time as a caregiver, whether short or long, as God’s appointment.
• To consider it an honor to be the extension of His love to someone in need.
• To do what I do from a thankful heart, with all my heart, as unto to the Lord.
• To be quick to extend forgiveness to others, and to guard my heart against bitterness or resentment.
• To maintain a quiet spirit that trusts God fully.
• To seek those times, whenever possible, to take breaks, be refreshed, and “come aside to rest awhile.”
• To choose joy, and not lose the gift of laughter.
• To seek God’s strength in my weakness, to receive His mercies when I have fallen short, to draw upon His grace in my inadequacy, to receive His refreshing when I have grown weary, and to keep the eyes of faith upon Him in all I do.

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©2020 Roy Lessin, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Encouragement for Caregivers: Part 10

Today
Roy Lessin, Prayers and Promises for Caregivers

Today…
God greets you with new mercies…begin there;
He welcomes you to the throne of grace…pray there;
He guides you in the paths of peace…walk there;
He will be your strength…live there;
He will care for you…rest there.

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©2020 Roy Lessin, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Encouragement for Caregivers: Part 9

A Caregiver’s Service
-Roy Lessin, Prayers and Promises for Caregivers

God has not called you to the place of perfect service,
but to the place of faithful service…
not to the place of work without rest,
but to the place of rest in your work…
not to the place of making everyone happy,
but to the place of pleasing Him. 

“I will not give up as long as there is strength in His arm, tenderness in His heart, and truth in His promise.”
-William Gurnall
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©2020 Roy Lessin, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Encouragement for Caregivers: Part 8

Promises 
-Roy Lessin, Prayers and Promises for Caregivers

The following is a special selection of Bible promises to encourage caregivers…

The Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled. Romans 15:4 NLT

But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 NKJV

And as for you, brethren, do not become weary or lose heart in doing right. 2 Thessalonians 3:13 AMP

The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. Psalm 28:7 NLT

Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. 1 Peter 5:7 AMP

Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 NLT

He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. Psalm 23:2-3 NLT

Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you. Psalm 55:22 AMP
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©2020 Roy Lessin, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Encouragement for Caregivers: Part 7

 I Only Need You, Lord…
-Roy Lessin, Prayers and Promises for Caregivers

I only need You, Lord, when I rise up and when I sit down; when I go out and when I come in; when I am quiet and when I am active; when I am alone and when I am with others; when I am healthy and when I am ill; when I am up and when I am down; when I am on the go and when I need to wait.

I only need You, Lord, when my lungs need to breathe; when my blood needs to flow, when my body needs to move; when my muscles need to work; when my mind needs to think, when heart needs to love.

I only need You, Lord, for as long as birds need flight, for as long as whales need the sea, for as long as clouds need moisture, for as long as wildflowers need raindrops, for as long as sunflowers need the summer sun.

I only need You, Lord, for this present moment, for the moment when You take me home, for all the moments in-between, and for all the moments ever after.

My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. -2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV
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©2020 Roy Lessin, all rights reserved. Used with permission.

Encouragement for Caregivers: Part 6

The Caregiver’s Blessing…
-Roy Lessin, Prayers and Promises for Caregivers

May you have the power to understand…how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:18-20 NLT

#1 God cares for Caregivers.
#2 In weakness I find His strength.
#3 There is grace enough for today.
#4 Love never ends.

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©2020 Roy Lessin, used with permission, all rights reserved.

Encouragement for Caregivers: Part 5

The Caregiver’s Song
-Roy Lessin, Prayers and Promises for Caregivers

Father, You’re the strength that lifts the burden,
You’re the oil that soothes the pain;
You’re the sunlight when there’s darkness,
You’re the shelter in the rain.
You’re the hand that brings all healing,
You’re the song that calms all fear;
You’re the peace that brings all comfort,
You’re the God who’s always near.

The Lord is my strength and my song; He has given me victory. Psalm 118:15 NLT

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©2020 Roy Lessin, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Encouragement for Caregivers: Part 4

Often our prayers can become pleading for relief, for healing, for comfort, for answers. May our prayers become opportunities to invite the peaceful presence of the Holy Spirit to dwell with us, to ask Jesus, our Great Physician, to provide wisdom and discernment to our medical teams, and to ask God our Father for His will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
-Marina
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The Caregiver’s Prayer
-Roy Lessin, Prayers and Promises for Caregivers

Father, help me, by Your grace, to be a caregiver as You care for us—work through my hands with the touch of compassion, see through my eyes with the clarity of understanding, shine through my countenance with the light of kindness, speak through my voice with the words of comfort and encouragement, minister through my spirit with grace and patience, and give through my heart with the never-ending gift of love. Amen!

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say. 2 Thessalonians 2:17 NLT
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©2020 Roy Lessin, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Encouragement for Caregivers: Part 3

Hands To Serve
-Roy Lessin, Prayers and Promises for Caregivers

God will work through your hands…
To support someone who is weak…
To raise someone who has fallen…
To uphold someone who is weary…
To wipe a tear…
To hold a hand…
To give a cup of water…
To embrace…
To carry a burden…
To impart a blessing.

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©2020 Roy Lessin, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Encouragement for Caregivers: Part 2

The Caregiver’s Greatest Need
-Roy Lessin

What is a caregiver’s greatest need?
It is not skill, although it is a good to get all the training possible.
It is not perfection, although it is good to do your very best.
It is not resources, although it is necessary to have the right supplies and aids.
It is not support, although it is important to have help and encouragement.
It is not more time away, although it is important to take breaks, have leisure time, and be refreshed.

The greatest need of a caregiver is love.

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.  1Corinthians 13:13 NJKV

Human love, although sincere and sacrificial, has its limitations and weaknesses. God is the only source of love without limits and whose love does not fail. God’s love flows on when human love has been expended, and the resources of His love will never be depleted.

His love is like a cluster of grapes that brings forth the sweet fruit of joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

God, I am in need of Your unfailing love. Pour forth, through my heart, love’s sweet fruit of kindness, patience, longsuffering, gentleness, and self-control. Be in me the love that never stops hoping, never stops believing, and never comes to an end. Amen!
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©2020 Roy Lessin, used with permission. All rights reserved. 

Encouragement for Caregivers: Part 1

Several years ago, Roy Lessin wrote a booklet of encouragement for Caregivers. With his permission, I will be bringing his words to you over the next few weeks.

With COVID still looming, flu season approaching, and our daylight depleting, I felt that this would be the perfect time to remind our Caregiving Community of their value and worth. 

You are depended upon EVERY day, but especially now, when we feel that we are limited to our contact and activities outside of our homes, still needing to get our loved-ones to appointments, shuttling kids to school or teaching them at home, and needing to have our families basic needs taken care of (laundry, anyone?), our stamina and self-worth may be running short. 

Whether your caregiving is taking care of your infants and toddlers at home, your aging parents or grandparents in their homes, a limited-ability loved one, or a spouse that has become temporarily (or permanently) disabled, we all need to be reminded that we are not walking this season alone. God is with us. He is for us. He will equip us. It's OK to be weak, because when we are weak, we can allow Him to be strong! He wants to be our strength, and for us to ask Him to do for us what we can not make happen. 

Please enjoy this series especially for you. May it be a blessing to you and your caregiver friends, encouraging and empowering you to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those you care for. 

Blessings,
Marina
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Prayers and Promises for Caregivers
Discovering God’s Care for Caregivers
-Roy Lessin

Caregiving can mean a short term assignment or a long term commitment. For many, caregiving has come unexpectedly and has changed their plans, challenged their schedules and altered their priorities.

Although different, the needs of a caregiver can often be as great as the needs of the one in their care. To be a caregiver is a reminder that to do good is not always easy; to give sacrificially is not always recognized; and to be available is not always convenient.

Caregivers can grow weary, even in well doing. All Caregivers need strength, patience, support, and encouragement. It is important for the caregiver to know that God cares for them.

(The Lord has been sent)…to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come… To all who mourn in Israel, He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for His own glory. Isaiah 61:1-3 NLT
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©2020 Marina J Bromley, Roy Lessin, all rights reserved.

Happy Fall Y'all...

It’s been an odd week. My spirit has been positive and forward-thinking, not dwelling on the past (as in years past). There’s been days to pull me back...the anniversary of my mother’s passing, a late grandmother’s birthday, my own birthday approaching, and soon the anniversary of my father’s death, my first granddaughter’s birthday (and not getting to celebrate with her, again), a time change. I can find all sorts of reasons to push October right off the calendar! And yet here I am, living day to day, pushing myself out of bed on cooler mornings (the hardest thing in the world for me, made harder), and looking ahead to create content, seek God’s Word and His purpose in the words I write, and the colors, and even set myself up and give permission to craft a little bit. What’s up with all that?!?

A few years ago I was stuck in a bad relationship with October. To be honest, it would start in June with the Summer Solstice, my mom’s birthday. As the sunlight began to slip away into late summer’s shadows, my joy would slip away too. By the time October rolled over on my calendar, it would hit me with some of these defining days and I was ready to pull the covers up and hibernate until the Winter Solstice (when the sun would start adding minutes on again). My moods and emotions worked like clockwork, my own Stonehenge.

Then one year, for no known reason to me, I decided that I could take it all back. No more depths of despair. I wanted these warm summer days for myself, so I forged a new neuron path in my brain to celebrate the changing of the shadows, the approaching of Fall, and the remembrance of those days that were the anchor to my hibernation. It was not easy, and some days I have to shake the sleep off my mind (it’s become my drug of choice!), but I’m keeping at it!

I don’t know if anyone else can relate to what I’m saying here, but if you understand, I want to walk through this with you! We can overcome the negativity of cooler weather and the shorter days. We can wake up in the dark and stay up in the dark and lead productive lives. We can cheer each other on to plow past the memorial days, and the holidays, and not give an inch to the debilitating weights that seek to hold us back and down. We can be happy, joy-filled even, and have enough to spill over into other people’s lives around us. Let’s do this!

Happy Fall Y’all!

Balanced and Beautiful in Christ:

"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior." - Titus 3:3-6 NIV

Growing up in a liberal home in the wild and crazy ‘60s in Southern California, I was surrounded by a lifestyle that was anything but polite and proper. My mother passed away as I entered my teenage years. My father—the only adult left in my home—was born and raised in socialist Holland, so he was far left politically. His mantra was, “If you’re not hurting someone else, and you want to do it, then do it.”

Anytime I did anything illegal or immoral, his response was, “It’s not as bad as what I used to do,” as if he was challenging me to do something worse. Imitating him, I learned to serve myself and worship the most important thing I knew, me. Yet, I sensed that something was missing in our home and in my life.

Despite my intense self-focus, I had no self-worth and was incredibly lonely. By the time I was a young adult, I had no sense of direction, was more than a recreational drug user, and followed people of little scruples, whichever way the wind blew. I recall times that I could have been abducted or worse, yet somehow, I always found my way back home alive. Still, I grew lonelier.

By the time I noticed Christians being strategically placed in my life, I was no longer a teenager. I had not accomplished anything by being in college and had no direction for my future. I was a complete loser in society. I had nothing to offer. I was used, abused, and broken.

But then, God entered my life.
At a time in my life I should have been overlooked, He saw me.
At a time in my life I was lost, He found me.
At a time in my life I was lonely and alone, He showed kindness to me through others who followed Him.
At a time in my life I didn’t want to live, He showed me my worth and gave me a new life in Him.
At a time in my life I thought I was unlovable, He showed me His unending love for me.
At a time in my life I should have been punished, He showed me undeserved mercy.
Because of God’s great love for me, He did what no man could do—love me completely.

Because of God’s great power, He healed me of the addictions and brokenness to which I grew accustomed. Because of His Holy Spirit, I gained a companion and helper who would never leave me. Because of His kindness, He cleaned me and put me on a better path.

How did this all happen? I was at the end of my rope, ready to give up on this life. I cried out to an unknown god, “If there is a God, I need to know You because I cannot continue to live like this!” Then, in the stillness of my room, He met me. He held on to me like no one ever had. He patiently walked with me through all of my bad habits and poor decisions. He forgave me, over and over again. He took my stained and tattered life and washed me new.

It wasn’t because of who I was, as I was unknown.
It wasn’t because of whom I knew, as I was just a face in the crowd.
It wasn’t because of my education, because I had given up on it.
It wasn’t because of my profession, because I went from job to job.
It wasn’t because of my financial investments, as I was broke.
It wasn’t because of my political power, because I had stopped believing the lies of the legislature.
It wasn’t because of my family name, because they gave me bad advice.

It was only because of God and His great love for me that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to earth to live a sinless life, to be persecuted to the point of death on a cross as the punishment for my sins, which were many. Because of His death, burial, and resurrection, I can live with Him eternally. Now, I choose to live for Him every day, until He brings me home.

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This first appeared on the Facebook page for Balanced and Beautiful in Christ. Written by Marina Bromley. ©2020 Marina Bromley, all rights reserved.