There’s nothing like a new year to prompt our attention toward getting healthier physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and/or relationally. This is good practice for everyone but anyone responsible for caring for young children or a loved one with disabilities is wise to be very intentional about staying strong, healthy, satisfied, and effective — most of all, God glorifying.

Caregiving friends, how are you doing with this?

Family caregivers need to be present and strong in every sense of the word!

We’re in it for the long haul. And we can’t afford to be sick, burned out or otherwise ineffective.

When I come into a new calendar year (or schoolyear) or have some other reason for a “reset” season, it helps me to remember my purpose and values, refine my focus and even have a biblical theme that inspires me for the next season. I often hear people say that a personal word helps them stay focused and motivated too. 

As a community at Walk Right In Ministries, we have historically shared a theme each year that we can gather around together. It is always encouraging to hear the stories from caregivers in our midst who are turning toward Jesus with intention and finding it helpful to reflect on life, goals, hopes and dreams with others who can relate.

“Iron sharpens iron “after all. And family caregivers are made of a special kind of “steel.”

I get to watch it up close — caregivers getting stronger and more hopeful while growing in community and faith-building friendships together. Tuning in to our faith together, we are better able to resist the devil who wants to keep us stuck, weary and defeated. We get excited to see God‘s power, presence, and goodness at work among us. And we want to give voice to that. 

Now we have opportunity to look forward to a great new year, trusting for more harmony with our families, church, community and Savior. 

Our community theme for 2025 is TUNING IN.

Let’s focus on TUNING IN to our Creator who intimately knows us, infinitely cares about us and knows exactly how to empower us.

We will get stronger and more resilient in life and faith by asking questions such as…

Who is God?

What does He promise?

How does He show up in our lives?

What does He want from us?

But these types of questions tend to drift from the forefront of our attention.

Each of us has a list of caregiving responsibilities that seems to grow with each passing day. Some clear needs quickly emerged at the first of the year here for Larry and I as caregiving dad and mom. For example, Carly will be hospitalized in early March for some dental work (because general anesthesia is required). During the winter, she’ll benefit from getting into a swimming pool more regularly for fitness and fun. We are tweaking some treatment strategies with prayerful hope of increased healing in her digestion and motility. Her health insurance carrier has to change on March 31^st calling for more research and tricky decisions. Many friends in this community are still in school years IEPS. Older friends are urgently exploring future housing options. Perhaps you can relate.

We can’t possibly do it all. Does God really expect that anyway? The truth is, what God wants more than anything else is our attention, trust and affection. He never tells us to do it all, or do it alone. Certainly not without Him.

The Holy Spirit calls us to prioritize the relationships.

When Carly and I are doing a dance party workout, it is less about the exercise and more about making connection with her. When we all snuggle on the couch to watch something on tv, it’s really less about what show we’re watching and more about bonding time. Preparing meals for my family is as much about supporting health as it is about time to pray over them while I cook and visit with them while we eat.

What is God really calling us to prioritize and
how are we supposed to do those things?

Our ability to answer this question comes from staying tuned in to the Lord and staying close to people who keep pointing us back to Him.

Let’s not get stuck in the “miry clay” of our pressures, fears and to-do lists. Let’s never grow weary of wanting to love others well through our acts of service. Let’s keep our focus and reliance on God for the encouragement, guidance and stamina we need.

Our Lord holds open arms and a gentle voice in our direction patiently waiting for us to move toward him.

PSALM 125:4
Oh Lord, do good to those who are good, whose hearts are in tune with you.

ISAIAH 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

PROVERBS 4:23
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

We’re strongest when we keep tuning in to God’s power, presence, goodness and infinite love for us! Our ability to love and care for others comes from the overflow of that love.

May the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people.
Amen.
1 THESSALONIANS 3:12-13

Let’s be checking in on each other with encouragement and prayers!

Thank you very much for trusting us here at Walk Right In Ministries in faith and friendship. It is our joy and privilege to do this life together. Please let us know how we can help you.

Lisa Jamieson is an author, speaker, special needs family advocate, and 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.