S10 E228 - Caring For A Caregiver

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Transcript

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This is Next Steps for Seniors with your host, Wendy Jones. Each week, Wendy brings resources and information to help guide you through those next steps with elderly parents and loved ones. If you have questions or topic suggestions, you can call us at 248-651-5010.

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Hello and welcome to Next Steps for Seniors Conversations on Aging. Are you overwhelmed with being a caregiver for a loved one? Unsure of what to do next, fearful of making the wrong decision, completely stressed, and seeking direction from literally anyone who will help you. If this is you, and if you're listening right now, this is the program for you. Because you can have an advocate. And he loves you too. So spiritually, that advocate that walks alongside you, it's Abba Father. It's God Almighty. He created the heavens and the earth. Trust me, he knows every thought. He is just standing in the midst of your situation, waiting for that moment that we just turn to him. Just turn to him and say, I can't do this anymore. I surrender. I surrender. I surrender control. I surrender everything to you. Let go and let God. I'm sure you've heard that before. But there's a release. There's a release and a weight that is lifted off of your shoulders. Take your hands in front of you. Put every responsibility in your hands that you cannot even come close to managing anymore. Literally. Emotionally and spiritually, stretch your hands out. So inside your hands right now, the medications, the caregiving, the showers, the meals, the stress, the driving, work, kids, whatever. Put it all in your hands and just stretch your hands out to the Lord right now. Literally surrender. Surrender every single one of those items. And you can watch each and every one of those burdens be cast onto him from your shoulders, the weight on your shoulders to his shoulders. You know, there's a worship song. It's called Cast All Your Cares Upon Him. It is an oldie, but a goody. The scripture is 1 Peter 5, 7, and it says, Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you. God loves us deeply and cares for us deeply. So think of someone that you love and care about more than anyone else in the whole world. God loves you more than that. In the natural, it's hard to comprehend, but in the spiritual, it makes all the sense in the world because God created you. So in closing, don't carry the weight of caregiving on your shoulders. Because you have a God in the midst of you that can handle all of your troubles, all your stress, all your anxiety, all your physical ailments, and he's waiting. He's waiting for us just to turn to him. So trust me, the freedom that comes with surrendering, it's undescribable. The peace you will feel, even though you're still walking through the storm, you will feel all the difference in the world walking through that storm with God right there with you. So lean on God. You are never meant to be on this journey alone. None of us were, but we need to let go and let God trust Him and be able to surrender control over to Him. You're still gonna go through the storm. You still got to do the physical things, but it's gonna be a whole different world when He's with you through it. You're gonna feel His big bear hug, his presence and his peace just wrapped around you every step of every day. So just take a breath. He's right there with you. He's got you. And he loves you. Thanks for tuning in to Next Steps for Seniors Conversations on Aging. And know that you are not alone because He is with you always.