Caregiver, start the new year remembering this…

You are never alone.

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. 
All power to him forever! Amen.
1 Peter 5:7-11

You are profoundly loved by God and designed by Him with unique strengths, weaknesses, spiritual gifts, and passions as well as extraordinary opportunities to care for others.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
    They cannot be numbered!
Psalm 139:14, 16, 17

Finding your “sweet spots” as a caregiver will involve reflecting on God’s good design and developing a lifestyle of leaning into your strengths.

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 1 Peter 4:10

Caregiver, resist the temptation to bear responsibility for more than what God Himself is calling you to carry. Trust God more than you trust yourself.

“Come to me, all of you are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you…and you will find rest for your souls.
Matthew 11:28-29

Caregiver, everyone will benefit when you develop partnerships with others who are strong in areas where you are weak.

To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 
Matthew 25:29

Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.
2 John 1:6

Christ is your ultimate strength and refuge in times of struggle.

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.
Psalm 73:26

You will begin to unlearn unhelpful habits by being honest with yourself, God, and others about your feelings and attitudes.

If we claim to have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleans us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:8-10

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
James 5:16

Have compassion and patience with yourself. Offer the same to others. Each one is in a process of finding their own sweet spots on the caregiving team.

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
Colossians 3:12

Fuel your soul on God’s promises, presence, and power. That fuel has more nourishing, energizing, focusing, and comforting effect on a caregiver than any other “self care” ever will.

Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
John 6:35

May he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. 
Hebrews 13:21

Lisa Jamieson is an author, speaker, special needs family advocate, and ordained pastoral counselor. She is co-founder of Walk Right In Ministries where she trains and counsels family caregivers to walk abundantly in life, faith, and relationships. Lisa and her husband, Larry, live in Minnesota with the youngest of their three grown daughters, Carly, who has Angelman Syndrome.