Adapted from books by Shelly Beach: Ambushed By Grace: Help and Hope in the Caregiving Journey, and It Is Well with My Soul.
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
my lip will glorify you. - Psalm 63:1-3
We all know caregiving is about love. But sometimes it's just impossible. How are we to love those we care for wholeheartedly when the relationships we have with them are so strained? How are we to love others selflessly when we ourselves are angry, frustrated, and tired?
Let's see what Jesus says about love. The greatest commandment, our Lord says, is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37). Then comes the second: "Love your neighbour as yourself" (Matthew 22:39).
This is the "double-love" command, on which our entire caregiving journey should be based. The order of the two commands indicates that our love for others must be the natural outflow of our love for God. Only by committing ourselves to our loving God are we then able to serve, love, forgive, and care for others.
What does it mean to love God? It means knowing Him, worshipping and praising Him, putting Him first in everything we do, desiring His presence in our lives, and obeying Him. In practical terms, it means spending time in His Word and in prayer; making Him the first priority and centre of our lives; submitting our will, desires, and passions to Him; and obeying His commands.
King David, the man whom God Himself called "a man after his own heart", described his love for God as a "thirst" for his Lord's presence. God's love, he wrote, was "better than life" itself, for it satisfied him more than the "richest of foods" (Psalm 63:1-5).
So let love for God overwhelm your heart. Let it engulf your soul. Let it captivate you so much that it possesses your emotions, your mind, and your actions. When this happens, you will find yourself taking on the nature of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, and pouring out your life in service to others. Your love for Him will shape the way you see His children - whether they are lovely or not.
As you learn to love God, you will become the person God intends you to be: fully loving those whom God entrusts into your care, and becoming the true caregiver He intends you to be.
By learning to love God first.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRaR-NFs6ZtzLJ7By1WchAIskGU_fkePKAg2lEyapuUWUOXrN3jblNA0UIB0hanmsmzUdQfZRMj0eOcPw4RHMbY27S9YhS0THv4NxGIoNn6bpzwENNViNvsMf9di00LnwwgtvUFL0Q0ZJi1JAcGLCPWDKyTaBY2iN2fOCCWMA_21e02I8Z3umaHn6W/s2048/istockphoto-177309224-2048x2048_1.png
https://media.istockphoto.com/photos/blind-prayer-picture-id177309224?s=2048x2048
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/blind-prayer-gm177309224-20270162
earnestly I seek you,
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
my lip will glorify you. - Psalm 63:1-3
PHOTO: You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you,
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
my lip will glorify you. -
Psalm 63:1-3
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnePQSycvKjjTMrOCbOWMrm8Mt0yTlQ_wmolImRSpF1A_FTPCHKthR6kqbDwwxHdA87AMSXtgE1gTgpo_TPUXNhBYE0eqPCgMC1vjwDpU7qxcY_cQ8HoAm7cmrC2iZU3ZemhtU6uWqUQ/s1600/geam.jpg
https://daniilgaucan.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/geam.jpg
https://daniilgaucan.wordpress.com/2015/10/12/luna-noua-in-balanta-13-octombrie-2015-o-resetare-pe-care-am-asteptat-o-cu-totii/
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/11/reflection-good-christian-men-rejoice.html
We all know caregiving is about love. But sometimes it's just impossible. How are we to love those we care for wholeheartedly when the relationships we have with them are so strained? How are we to love others selflessly when we ourselves are angry, frustrated, and tired?
Let's see what Jesus says about love. The greatest commandment, our Lord says, is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37). Then comes the second: "Love your neighbour as yourself" (Matthew 22:39).
Picture posted by Godly Ladies
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXsSHJpyRPlJoWwhXLHMqYY74iOID6jz4Vp4GeitEvlt9g2Aqg2b_YgseosVgAsfulAdNnUwuQlkMnkJn30vRvrMNgiyQnbGRg57n1iDdGpOmqQBUnwTOIhy6yw8IDlUxSjVOnD7G_FjzSokQbTk2dzQdZBcbemIUYF1OkHTRLwTFYy0rtoCSpMkH/s686/Matthew-22-37-39.jpg
http://godlyladies.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Matthew-22-37-39.jpg
http://godlyladies.com/daily-bible-reading-23rd-january/matthew-22-37-39/
This is the "double-love" command, on which our entire caregiving journey should be based. The order of the two commands indicates that our love for others must be the natural outflow of our love for God. Only by committing ourselves to our loving God are we then able to serve, love, forgive, and care for others.
What does it mean to love God? It means knowing Him, worshipping and praising Him, putting Him first in everything we do, desiring His presence in our lives, and obeying Him. In practical terms, it means spending time in His Word and in prayer; making Him the first priority and centre of our lives; submitting our will, desires, and passions to Him; and obeying His commands.
Picture posted by Meravglik
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbZtrIPqtCn6GjSsyQ98ZzonayFQ1vko8EeQpdV75udZudeV32SL0VseUdF7jrNiMdk8GqD-Iw1dp62pkfS1MyzUcpHZC47CCSeW6NmAV7Z0B9i9-skDIs-JMH9ZPml4Fma_WA1OHWJgMX8zje8E5SeXZgWZ0Qmd9ot6WEzTBnDFW5gkSXxFedN4C/s2560/Depositphotos_4084122_xl-2015-scaled.jpg
https://meravglik.co.il/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Depositphotos_4084122_xl-2015-scaled.jpg
https://meravglik.co.il/התנועה-של-הרגש/
King David, the man whom God Himself called "a man after his own heart", described his love for God as a "thirst" for his Lord's presence. God's love, he wrote, was "better than life" itself, for it satisfied him more than the "richest of foods" (Psalm 63:1-5).
So let love for God overwhelm your heart. Let it engulf your soul. Let it captivate you so much that it possesses your emotions, your mind, and your actions. When this happens, you will find yourself taking on the nature of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, and pouring out your life in service to others. Your love for Him will shape the way you see His children - whether they are lovely or not.
Picture posted by Bonnie Haldeman
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGZXR0qdq41kPhb31p6Jp14NUvg3-w1rQzvbgGCmmWZFVkLw3Gh_L3t23tJ3NpTSA5vBHJ_8fFlCWW6riwgT7YqDsB_3cTL1W7JUbFm5CO4WiUodH4WHxbZm0bqp86-LD8j68LA4enbp-OB_KO95UdOaaR4_-mPtT-3nJwHZz7fFKjGBNassylVjci/s924/fbfb9727a02d90adc27c275415d0057b.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/fb/fb/97/fbfb9727a02d90adc27c275415d0057b.jpg
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/316448311296435158/
As you learn to love God, you will become the person God intends you to be: fully loving those whom God entrusts into your care, and becoming the true caregiver He intends you to be.
By learning to love God first.
Picture posted by Stricnina, Alice on 04 October 2005
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPGSxx_EbCTNtT0WCi69lZZvS94zjt154eCcWkoaM7g4ZQhCzuw73n2ubsoLCCL7omKbTPkv-UytPktZvxr_XbOq4Hdd5GsCDint6I0fufzvtc5BUoSiZkxK7KbsfWFmu-Fy80Nnz-LUUaHFFvXb0jSIMNIx4Tn_Bh4yrq04FWeDOhR6dDkLHGs8T/s904/de2dqd-4f4dcc5b-cb28-47e4-8964-dd596058c345.jpg
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https://www.deviantart.com/stricnina/art/Symphonic-HP-D-n-G-23625733
Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
Picture posted by Wallpaper Abyss
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Source (book): "He Walks with Me - Devotions for Your Caregiving Journey with God", PART I "JOURNEYING WITH GOD", Chapter 4 "Loving God first", Page 16.
Adapted from books by Shelly Beach: Ambushed By Grace: Help and Hope in the Caregiving Journey, and It Is Well with My Soul.
Other Books (Links)
Reflection - Faithful to the end (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2017/06/reflection-faithful-to-end-links.html
"Finding rest for the soul" Responding to Jesus' Invitation in Matthew 11:28-29, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon
Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/10/reflection-finding-rest-for-soul-links.html
"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon
Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART I-III, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-i.html
"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon
Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART IV, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-iv.html
"Songs of Christmas", The Stories and Significance of 20 Well-Loved Carols, © 2018 by Robert M. Solomon
Reflection - Songs of Christmas (Links), posted on Friday, 24 April 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/04/reflection-songs-of-christmas-links.html
"Growing Old Gracefully", Following Jesus to the End, © 2019 by Robert M. Solomon
Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part I - III (Links), posted on Wednesday, 09 December 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/12/reflection-growing-old-gracefully-part.html
Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part IV - V (Links), posted on Thursday, 22 April 2021
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/12/reflection-growing-old-gracefully-part_9.html
"Teach Us to Number Our Days", © 2008 by David Roper
Reflection - Number Our Days, Chapter 1 - 40 (Links), posted on Tuesday, 16 November 2021
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/11/reflection-number-our-days-chapter-1-40.html
Reflection - Number Our Days, Chapter 41 - 64 (Links), posted on Wednesday, 16 March 2022
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/03/reflection-number-our-days-chapter-41.html
Links
New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Matthew 22:37 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+22%3A37&version=NIV
Matthew 22:39 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+22%3A39&version=NIV
Psalm 63:1-3 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+63%3A1-3&version=NIV
Psalm 63:1-5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+63%3A1-5&version=NIV
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- https://media.istockphoto.com/photos/blind-prayer-picture-id177309224?s=2048x2048
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- https://daniilgaucan.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/geam.jpg
- https://daniilgaucan.wordpress.com/2015/10/12/luna-noua-in-balanta-13-octombrie-2015-o-resetare-pe-care-am-asteptat-o-cu-totii/
- https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/11/reflection-good-christian-men-rejoice.html
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- http://godlyladies.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Matthew-22-37-39.jpg
- http://godlyladies.com/daily-bible-reading-23rd-january/matthew-22-37-39/
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- https://www.deviantart.com/stricnina/art/Symphonic-HP-D-n-G-23625733
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