A caregiver is called to a privilege and responsibility to assume the role of overseer, provider, protector, shepherd, guide, advocate, and more. How "awe"-some is that? It is God-like by its very nature, being empowered with life-and-death decisions, total control of the individual's well-being and care, and given complete authority to dispense mercy and kindness. Only now do I have the opportunity to take a breath, look back, consider the "awe"-some power that was entrusted to me in Dad's care, and to self-assess what I did with and how effectively I utilized that power.
With that power also comes the struggles that every caregiver must face: frustration, fatigue, fear, worry, anger, resentment, social isolation, loneliness, uncertainty, distrust, and self-neglect just to name a few. We live in a culture that is skeptical and/or misinformed about the spiritual world, but we do, in fact, have a real enemy (see Eph 6:11-12). He prowls, he stalks, he deceives, he tempts, he attacks, but no Christian is ever left without the resources of the Holy Spirit to defend against his schemes.
There is an old saying that goes something like "facts don't care about your feelings", and of course, that's true. No matter how I feel about a person or issue, my feelings don't impact or alter the facts. What's true is true....immutably. But when the enemy comes prowling around in highly charged emotional situations, his scheme is premised on the deception that "your feelings won't care about the facts."
There is alot to unpack there. More than my heart and mind can grasp right now, but over time, perhaps I can flesh out more details about some of these individual "awe"-some responsibilities and also some of the spiritual battles that sought to weigh me down.
No comments:
Post a Comment