Month: February 2019

Twenty Bible Verses to Help With Worry and Anxiety

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Twenty Bible Verses to Help With Worry and Anxiety

“And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.”

Joshua 10:25 (KJV)

“Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;”

Ruth 1:12 (KJV)

“Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.”

Psalm 3:2-6 (KJV)

“The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.”

Psalm 147:11 (KJV)

“Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.”

Proverbs 13:12 (KJV)

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV)

“By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.”

Romans 5:2-7 (KJV)

“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Romans 5:5 (KJV)

“For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”

Romans 8:24-25 (KJV)

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

Romans 8:28-29 (KJV)

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 15:13 (KJV)

“So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 15:54-58 (KJV)

“For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”

Galatians 6:8 (KJV)

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

Philippians 1:6 (KJV)

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:13-14 (KJV)

“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”

Colossians 1:27 (KJV)

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”

Colossians 3:1-2 (KJV)

“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while*, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”

1 Peter 5:10 (KJV)

“Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age*, because she judged him faithful who had promised.”

Hebrew 11:11 (KJV)

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Scripture: All Bible Verses are King James Version (KJV) by Public Domain
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Time

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Use the Time God Has Given You

Part of learning to care for a person with a chronic illness is learning to use the time God has given to us. The Bible teaches that God has the days of our lives numbered. Here are five examples:

  1. Job 14:5 King James Version (KJV), “Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;”
  2. Job 21:21 (KJV), “For what does he care for his household after him, When the number of his months is cut off?
  3. Psalm 31:15 (KJV), “My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.”
  4. Psalm 139:16 (KJV), “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.”
  5. Ecclesiastes 3:2 (KJV), “A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.”

My Story

“How long …”

I asked the question doctors dread to hear. How long does my loved one have to live? I spoke those words to the physician when my mother had her kidney transplant. I repeated the words when my wife had Melanoma surgery and had 34 lymph nodes removed because the disease had spread into them. Yes, I also said those two words when I took my ninety-years old father to the emergency room and found out he had suffered a major heart attack.

With my spouse, I remember the oncologist giving the five-year survival rate odds which were very depressing. She emphasized enjoying the now. She strongly stressed if cancer recurred it would be terminal.

Less than six months later the Melanoma returned. My wife lived another two years and four months. Two years longer than what we expected.

I worked hard to make each day a positive experience. I also took her on a multi-week “bucket list” trip where we had quality time together. The journey was challenging as I had to get a refrigerator for her prescription chemotherapy medications. I also had to pack and unpack a big lymphedema therapy machine. She had to sit for an hour every day hooked to the device to control swelling in her left arm, wrist, and hand.

My point is we made good use of the time available. I made sure my wife saw her sisters multiple times. I made sure our grown children were engaged in her life.

God was gracious and gave her 1001 days from the first surgery. He also gave me the patience and desire to serve her.

The hope we both had through Jesus Christ allowed us to face each day with confidence.

Bible Verse

Psalm 39:4 (KJV), “Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am.”

What the Verse Means

The verse shares thoughts concerning the psalmist meditations on human life. He reflects on life’s brevity, life’s vanity, and life’s sorrows. He wonders why life was so short. Why was it so vain? Why was it so full of pain?

Pray Using Scripture

  • Father in heaven, thank you for reminding me of how brief my time on earth will be. Help me to use the days I have to the fullest.
  • Lord Jesus, thank you for reminding me that my days are numbered. Help me to trust that you know what is best for me.
  • God, help me remember how fleeting my life is and to live my days to your honor and your glory.

Responding to God’s Hope

  1. Are you helping your loved one live their remaining days to the fullest? What can you do today to make today a good day for your loved one?
  2. What can you do to encourage friends and family to engage with your chronically or terminally ill loved one?
  3. Make sure you include rest in the management of your one’s time. What can you do today to make sure your loved one takes time to rest?

Tweetable

Time https://wp.me/p1F1No-2NM #hope #caregiver [CLICK TO TWEET]

Photo Source: Pixabay.

Learning to Laugh

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Learning to Laugh

Part of learning to care for a person with a chronic illness is learning to laugh.

My Story

First, there is nothing funny about a spouse having a chronic or terminal illness. There certainly isn’t anything funny about caring for them and all the nuisances involved with the daily routine.

Over the years I had heard time and time again that opposites attract. My experience would agree with the statement. Many times I have been told I am the least spontaneous person alive.

Maybe my living my life structured like a German railroad schedule or the fact I grew up in a career military family and then was a US Army officer helped influence me in this arena. My wife enjoyed the structure of routine but also loved the unexpected blessings of life. Where I needed a to-do list and schedule for my day and had my day disrupted with change, she embraced the unexpected.

I also am a very stoic person. Again, being a military officer affected me in this area. I believe nearly twenty-years of full-time ministry also had me being the rock of stability in difficult situations. I was the steady influence, the calm in the storm for so many. It allowed me to officiate funerals of friends and even my parents with a dignified seriousness that my wife sometimes hated and caused others to refer to me as a robot-man.

I remember the surgical oncologist kindly encouraging me to lighten up. She said my serious all the time attitude was contagious. My constant seriousness was gloomy and the wrong attitude for my wife to catch. She added attitude is crucial when dealing with a chronic illness like my wife’s cancer. The cheerfulness of mind does good like a medicine for the body. Our attitude contributes to the restoration or preservation of bodily health and vigor. Medical science tells us the red blood cells, most white blood cells, and platelets are produced in the bone marrow, the soft fatty tissue inside bone cavities. Proverbs 17:22 (KJV) teaches, “A poor spirit/attitude ‘drieth the bones’ which produce the needed cells.”

She encouraged me to watch romantic comedies, funny situation comedies, and even some comedy specials with my wife. She said they would get us both laughing. It would help me to lighten my mood. It would help with my wife’s healing.

The medical doctor even questioned if my spirit was broken and if I was totally given over to my wife’s death to cancer. She said it was too early to give up hope. She said those with a more positive attitude live longer. Her little talk helps me recalibrate my thinking and adjust my attitude. Maybe that small change contributed to my spouse’s living almost two years longer than first anticipated. Only God knows if it did.

We can learn a lot if we read our Bible.

Bible Verse

Proverbs 17:22 (KJV), “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”

What the Verse Means

Our attitude is crucial when dealing with a chronic illness. The cheerfulness of our mind does good like a medicine for the body. Our opinion contributes to the restoration or preservation of bodily health and vigor.

Pray Using Scripture

  • Lord Jesus, help me to enjoy the funny things that happen in life.
  • Heavenly Father help me to take life one day at a time.
  • God, help me and my family and friends to not dwell on the seriousness of the chronic illness, but rather help us to live life to the fullest as we know you hold the future.

Responding to God’s Hope

  1. How is your attitude? Do you need an attitude adjustment? If so, God can help. Ask Him.
  2. Are you remaining affirming and positive in the presence of the one you are charged to care for? Remember, your outlook and attitude are catching. I’m not talking about some false it’s going to be all better attitude but a realistic today is going to be a good day attitude — and I’m going to do my best to make it a good day approach instead of a gloom and doom outlook.
  3. What can you do to bring joy and laughter today? Is there a favorite movie or comedy series you could watch together?

Tweetable

Laughter https://wp.me/p1F1No-2NA #caregiver #hope @jimmiekepler [CLICK TO TWEET]

Photo Source: Pixabay

This blog post is adapted from the forthcoming book, “Hope for the Caregiver: A Biblical Alternative” by Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Ed.D.

 

Relying on God 

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Relying on God

Part of learning to care for a loved one with a chronic or terminal illness is relying on God.

For the person and their family that are living with a chronic illness, they need never to be ashamed to rely on the Lord God. Jehovah is their rock and fortress.

My Story

While caring for my spouse as she battled neuroendocrine carcinoid and Melanoma cancer I was also a primary caregiver for my mother and father. Mom had received a kidney transplant is the spring of 2011 at age seventy-eight. Dad was already well into his eighties with aging finally begin to catch up with him.

During this same period, my then day job was undergoing significant changes with reorganization and reductions in force. Life felt like a tsunami both overwhelming me as well as leaving many challenges in its aftermath. 

I felt overwhelmed and as if I couldn’t control anything. Seemingly routine things like follow-up appointments with the kidney transplant center became major ordeals as dad was no longer able to navigate the big city traffic to get mom to her follow-up exams. 

The initial surgery on my wife had a prolonged hospitalization more than thirty-five miles from home with all of the Dallas traffic between our house and her hospital room during her three-plus week stay. Soon after that, my parents had a significant power outage caused by a storm. It resulted in all frozen and refrigerated food ruining. My folks were stubborn and stayed for a week in a house without air conditioning with temperatures reaching somedays into the nineties. I couldn’t get them to stay with me or go to a hotel.

During this time all I knew to do was cry out to God. I remember telling God I can’t do this by myself. I still recall hearing his still small voice say to me, “I’m here with you. I’ll enable you to do what you need to do. I’ll give you favor in your employer’s eyes and meet your needs.”

Just weeks later my mother spent weeks in the intensive care unit. My brother was able to come from the east coast and provide the leadership needed in managing her care. My day job allowed me to work from her hospital room and at times not work just being on call. Only God could do this.

Mom died a few weeks later. Dad died thirty months after my mother’s passing. He required my near daily attention. My wife died nine months after dad went home to be with the Lord.

I can testify to the Lord God being my rock and fortress. Like me, you too can rely on God. He will walk with you each step of your journey.

Bible Verse

Psalm 71: 3 (KJV), “Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.”

What the Verse Means

God is here for us all the time. We can always go to and rely on God. The Lord God is our rock and fortress.

Pray Using Scripture

  • Heavenly Father, we rely on and thank you for being here for us.
  • Lord Jesus, we pray that we will continually place our confidence and trust in You.
  • Thank you for being our rock and our fortress.

Responding to God’s Hope

  1. Are you spending time reading God’s word? Spending time with him through Bible reading is one way we live with God.
  2. Are you listening to sermons and Bible teaching either in person by attending church (this is recommended) or by watching on television or through live streaming of church services? If not start doing so this week. An example of live streaming would be my church whose services are available online through Prestonwood.live.
  3. What is your most significant concern today? Have you told God? If not, tell him now. Merely say, dear God, help me. I need your help with …

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Relying on God https://wp.me/p1F1No-2Nt #caregiver #hope @jimmiekepler [CLICK TO TWEET]

Photo Source: Pixabay

This blog post is adapted from the forthcoming book, “Hope for the Caregiver: A Biblical Alternative” by Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Ed.D.

Twenty Bible Verses That Advise Us To Wait Upon the Lord

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Wait Upon The Lord

The Bible is full of verses that remind us to wait on the Lord. As a caregiver, there are times we need to wait.

Have you ever read in the Bible the phrase “wait upon the Lord” and wondered what it means? Those four words have two basic meanings in the Bible. 

Old Testament Meaning

When “wait upon the Lord” is used in the Old Testament, the Nation of Israel, the people of God, and individual people were told to wait on God’s providential care. 

New Testament Meaning

Often when the phrase “wait upon the Lord” is used in the New Testament it refers to Jesus’ second coming. 

A common meaning in most all biblical instances for waiting on the Lord is having the expectant trust and hope in God’s movement and activity.

Twenty Bible Verses That Advise Us To Wait Upon the Lord

“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”

Psalm 27:14 King James Version (KJV)

“Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.”

Psalm 25:3 (KJV)

“Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.”

Psalm 25:5 (KJV)

“For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.”

Psalm 37:9 (KJV)

“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

Psalm 62:5 (KJV)

“I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.”

Psalm 69:3 (KJV)

“Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.”

Psalm 123:2 (KJV)

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)

“And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.”

Isaiah 8:17 (KJV)

“Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O Lord our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.”

Jeremiah 14:22 (KJV)

“Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counseller, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.”

Mark 15:43 (KJV)

“And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.”

Luke 2:25 (KJV)

“Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.read more.”

Luke 12:35-40 (KJV)

“And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”

Romans 8:23-25 (KJV)

“So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:”

1 Corinthians 1:7 (KJV)

“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”Galatians 5:5 (KJV), “For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.”

1 Corinthians 4:5 (KJV)

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”

Titus 2:13 (KJV)

“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

Hebrews 9:28 (KJV)

“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”

James 5:7-8 (KJV)

“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”

Revelation 6:9-11 (KJV)

Scripture Source: All Bible Verses are from the King James Version (KJV) by Public Domain
Photo Source: Pixabay

Accepting the Hope Available through God

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Accepting the Hope Available through God

Part of learning to care for a person with a chronic illness is accepting the hope available through God. Everyone needs hope. Today’s Bible verse tells of the hope we have available in God.

My Story

Back in April 2016, I had a surprise in the interoffice mail at work one Thursday. It came with an apology from the information technology vice president’s executive administrative assistant for not getting the large manila envelop to me sooner. 

She said she had the interoffice mail for me “for a while, but hadn’t gotten it to me with all going on in IT.” It was a wonderful gift of a necklace for my wife from a coworker of mine. It has the word HOPE on it.

Thank you, Cynthia Mitchell, for thinking of my wife, buying and sending her the necklace. The silver piece of jewelry was beautiful. It put a smile on my sweet wife’s face. It was a reminder of the hope we have in Christ necklace.

When we moved my wife into hospice, she asked I get the HOPE necklace and put it back on her. She usually wore it all the time but it was off because of MRIs, CT scans, and PET Scans she had.

The photo is from 2016. Cynthia’s act of kindness continued to give my wife comfort and hope until her last breath. Cynthia, thank you. You’re a beautiful woman inside and out with a caring heart. I was blessed to work with you before I retired. Thanks again. 

My wife asked to be buried wearing the necklace. I honored that wish. My wife never lost hope. As death approached her hope never left. While she would have been glad for a miracle cure of the Melanoma cancer, she had her hope in Jesus and approached her death with the excitement of a school girl going on a trip to Disney World. She couldn’t wait to get on to heaven and to see Jesus. She never mentioned fear, just anticipation

An interesting side note is when my wife was in in-patient hospice care getting stabilized enough where she could come home for her last days, her register nurse was named Hope. She had hope with her to the end.

One last thought — A simple act of kindness like a card or a thoughtful gift can touch a person’s heart in ways you will never know. If God prompts you to do an act of kindness please follow through because you may never realize the impact of the hope you’re sharing.

Bible Verse

Job 11:18 (KJV), “And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.”

What the Verse Means

Like my wife, you can feel secure because of the hope you have in Jesus Christ. While you will continue to experience life’s difficulties, you need not to have a gloom and doom or why me Lord attitude.

Your outlook should be optimistic because nothing will ultimately be able to harm you from your heavenly destination. Have a firm faith and assurance of your final victory, because of God’s love and in the Bible’s promises which respect the life that now is, and that which is to come.

This allows you to lie down on the bed and sleep at night in peace and quietness, having nothing to fear.

Pray Using Scripture

  • Heavenly Father, we feel secure because there is hope because of you. Help us to claim that promise.
  • Because of the hope and security that we have in you, we can rest and sleep in peace. Thank you for restful sleep.
  • Lord Jesus, help us to rest in you.

Responding to God’s Hope

  1. Do you have hope for the future? I am talking of the hope that’s available through knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. CLICK HERE for information on how to become a Christian.
  2. As a caregiver, you’ll grow tired and weary. You will have times you doubt that you can face another day of taking care of your family member or loved one. Thank God for the hope that you and your charge have through Christ Jesus.
  3. Ask God to give you the same level of peace he gave my wife.

TWEETABLE

The Lord is My Helper https://wp.me/p1F1No-2Ni #caregiver #hope @jimmiekepler [CLICK TO TWEET]

Photo Source: Jimmie Aaron Kepler

This blog post is adapted from the forthcoming book, “Hope for the Caregiver: A Biblical Alternative” by Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Ed.D.

The Lord is My Helper

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The Lord is My Helper

Part of learning to care for a person with a chronic illness is allowing the Lord to be your helper.

When you or our loved one faces a chronic or severe illness, you need the Lord’s help as our helper. You also need the courage to face the next hour and the challenges of everyday living. With Christ, you can meet each day without fear.

My Story

When my wife was diagnosed with Melanoma cancer my heart broke. I promised myself I would be there for her. I would be there in good times. I would be there in bad times. I would care for her and celebrate every time we received good news. I would be there to hold, comfort, and pray for her when the news was bad and when she had a bad day.

My ego initially got in the way as I wanted to prove to the world I was the super, best husband ever. I wanted to model for the world how to one your wife and care for her. 

I think if I were totally honest I wanted the pat on the back and acclaim of family, coworkers, and friends for being the gold-standard in caregiving. I know I also wanted a well done from Jesus.

After her initial surgery, many people offered help. I took off a couple of weeks from work to care for her. Her sisters flew into town to see how she was doing and help. 

All this time I decline more help than I accepted. My Bible fellowship class provided meals and gift cards. They were a blessing. Over time we settled into the long adjustment to the treatments, new normal, and fewer offers of help and my continued stubbornness to accept help.

As time passed I grew weary and had caregiving start to consume most of my waking hours especially when she had follow-up surgeries. Yet through this time, I found myself feeling guilty when someone else helped.  I felt like a failure. It was as if I wasn’t doing it all myself, I wasn’t being the man or husband I was supposed to be.

During her 1001 days after the surgery, I was faithful in sending time with the Lord. However, the caregiving took a toll. I developed oral lichen planus, lichen planus, and irritable bowel disease while caring for my spouse.  All are autoimmune diseases and the medical know-it-alls think stress can contribute to the diseases. You can see how poorly I handled everything.

I wonder how much more challenging it would have been if I hadn’t spent time with the Lord on a daily basis and asked him for his help? In the last five months of my wife’s life, I had someone with me daily helping. I know God touched my wife’s sisters’ heart to be with her. Even when she passed away she was surrounded by family. I was holding her hand and talking with her. Her sisters were present. All three of our children were there. Her best girlfriend from high school was present. Only God could have brought all together.

I let the family take my wife to the doctor and to radiation treatments from time to time without me. It allowed them to help and see what she was going through. I allowed her sisters to go to the oncologist and hear the reports first hand. Allowing this improved their engagement in caregiving.

Bible Verse

Hebrews 13:6 (KJV), “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”

What the Verse Means

Without any hesitation or doubt, in all times of difficulty when we don’t know how to pray or how we will make it even through the night, we have an assurance that God will not leave us to suffer.

What can we fear if we have the assurance that the Lord is on our side, and that he will help us?

We fear nothing. Man can do no more to us than God permits, and no more than will be for our own good.

We know under whatever trials we may be placed, we need be under no extreme anxiety, for God will be our protector and our friend.

Pray Using Scripture

  • Heavenly Father, help us to cling to you and keep our total trust in you.
  • Lord Jesus, give us the courage to say you are our helper.
  • We pray for fear to flee from us. We will not fear what man or disease shall do unto us.

Responding to God’s Hope

  1. Are you trying to do it all yourself? Be honest. 
  2. Do you have friends and family that have offered to help with the caregiving? List them by name. Consider allowing them to assist.
  3. You are not a failure or letting your loved one down if you have help. Do you have a Bible fellowship class to provide assistance? A ladies Bible study group? Friends? Family? For example, make them aware that you could use someone to sit with your loved one when you go buy groceries.

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This blog post is adapted from the forthcoming book, “Hope for the Caregiver: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional Approach” by Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Ed.D.

Resting in the Lord

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Resting in the Lord

Part of learning to care for a person with a chronic illness understands resting in the Lord.

Living with a chronic illness can leave you tired and weary. I am talking about becoming bone tired. I am talking about the type of fatigue that a vacation or even a sabbatical cannot cure.

My Story

You may be like my late wife was when she was battling Stage Four Melanoma cancer. She found herself very tired.

The juggling of her schedule to visit the surgical oncologist, managing oncologist, dermatologist, thyroid doctor, blood work, biopsies, surgery, second surgery, PET scans, CAT scans, MRIs, days and weeks of radiation treatments, months of daily chemotherapy prescription medications, waiting for UPS or FedEx to deliver the refrigerated prescriptions from the special pharmacy, visits to the lymphedema therapist, seven days a week lymphedema therapy at home with the machine that sounds like Darth Vader with its sleeve that looks like Snuffleupagus on Sesame Street plus managing her work schedule to maintain health insurance had her exhausted.

Then there is her eating schedule. She had to take the meds and wait two hours to eat or eat and wait several hours before she could take the medications.

You get the picture and can relate. Like my wife, you get tired. You need to rest. You need God.

Bible Verse

Exodus 33:14 (KJV), “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

What the Verse Means

The Lord is telling Moses that he that is the Lord will personally go with him. He that is the Lord will give him rest. He is informing Moses that everything will be fine for him.

The application for the Believer in Christ is the Lord also personally goes with us, gives us rest, and promises that ultimately all will be fine.

Pray Using Scripture

  • Heavenly Father, thank you for your presence going with us.
  • Lord Jesus, thank you for the rest you give us.
  • God, we ask to experience your rest again this day.
  • Let us use Sundays as the day of rest and worship.

Responding to God’s Hope

  1. Remember a recent time you felt God’s presence. What were you doing? Recall how you felt his presence.
  2. Ask God to go with you and be with you today as you work and go about your caregiving responsibilities.
  3. Are you getting enough rest? Are you reading your Bible regularly? Are you getting enough sleep? Are you taking time to be still?

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This article is from the forthcoming book, “Hope for the Caregiver: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional Approach.”

How to be Strong and Courageous in the Lord

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How to be Strong and Courageous in the Lord

Part of learning to care for a person with a chronic illness understands how to be strong and courageous in the Lord.

Facing caring for a person with a chronic or terminal illness is a scary daily challenge for both the person with the disease, their family and the caregiver. Through Jesus Christ, we can be strong and courageous.

How can we do this?

We cannot do this in our strength by ourselves. Daily the Lord Jesus our God goes with the Christian. We need to remember he goes with us.

Today’s Scripture tells us the Lord will not leave or forsake the Believer in Jesus Christ.

My Story

One of the first thoughts I had when my wife received the diagnosis she had stage three Melanoma was how I am going to care for her and love her unconditionally until she dies. I knew the Melanoma was going to kill her unless God intervened. I wondered if she would follow the doctor’s orders. Would my wife let me help her? How would she react?

In time all the questions were answered. It didn’t happen in one day. There was some give and take. My spouse had to have a heart to heart with me which included telling me to back off and give her some space as I was smothering her with kindness and care.

She didn’t need me reacting as if every little event a matter she encountered was a life or death event. I learned she needed me to be there. She needed my calm, steady presence. A simple example is when I had a ball game on, and she came into the room I would change channels on the television to her favorite HGTV program. I stayed in the room with her instead of going to the bedroom and continuing the ballgame. If I were cleaning or doing other housework, I would give her my attention and be with her.

In her last days of hospice care, she told me how much my just being there with her meant to her. She said I could get the house spotless after she was in heaven, but until then she needed the ministry of my presence. She needed me to be strong and courageous as I spent time with her.

Bible Verse

Deuteronomy 31:6 (KJV), “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

What the Verse Means

Because Christians have God with them, they should be of good courage. The courage comes from their confident assurance in God which faith gives. This sure faith in Christ allows us to face each day bravely knowing through him we shall have the ultimate victory.

Pray Using Scripture

  • Heavenly Father, please help me and my family to continue to be strong and courageous in the face this illness.
  • Holy Spirit, I ask for your comfort. Help me to not fear or be in dread of the challenges I face. Help me not to grow weary.
  • Thank you for letting me know it is the Lord our God who goes with me and that he will not leave me or forsake me.
  • I pray my family and loved ones would confess faith in Jesus Christ where they too can experience the comfort available to Christians.

Responding to God’s Hope

  1. What are two areas that you are fearful of failing in as you care for your loved one? Name them.
  2. Take the two items you identified in question 1. Admit your fears to God. Ask God for the faith you need to face fear courageously. 
  3. Realize that God has entrusted you already with your loved one’s care. He’s put them under your supervision; God will equip you for the daily challenges you face. Thank God for the confidence He has placed in you, and for the way, He helps you daily as you care for your loved one.

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This article is from the forthcoming book, “Hope for the Caregiver: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional Approach.”

Learning to Praise God

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When You’re a Caregiver, You Need to Learn to Praise God

Part of learning to live with a chronic illness is learning to praise God.

As you care for yourselves or a loved one with a chronic illness, often you grow tired and weary. As you tire, you should focus on our Heavenly Father.

The Lord God will strengthen and renew you as you praise him.

My Story

As my wife adjusted to living and dealing with cancer, she started using a term and phrase I grew to loathe as much as she hated the words. The words were new normal. The oncologist reminded her she needed to adjust and adapt to her new normal of medicines, treatments, therapies, and dietary changes.

She just wanted her old life back. She wanted a return of the life she was living before cancer. Unfortunately, like the pre-US Civil War old south, to use a dated illustration from Margret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind,” her past life was gone with the wind, never to return. That made us both sad and broke our hearts.

I tried helping my wife adjust to the new normal as best I could. Like her, I also wanted the old routine back. I learned to take each day as it came. While I planned for the long term, I dwelt on the good of today instead of the unknowns of tomorrow. I somehow was able to trust God for them.

Bible Verse

Exodus 15:2 (KJV), “The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.”

What the Verse Means

We get our strength from the Lord. We should praise God.

Why should we praise him? 

  • The Bible commands it.  “Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord,” Psalm 150:6 KJV.
  • Praise enables access to God. “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name,” Psalm 100:4 KJV.
  • Praise is where God lives. “Enthroned upon the praises of Israel,” Psalm 22:3 KJV.
  • Praise chases away despair. “To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.,” Isaiah 61:3 KJV.
  • God is worthy of it. “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.” Psalm 145:3 KJV. 

Praise is the Lord God’s only. The tribute isn’t to magnify man but to praise the Lord.

Pray Using Scripture

  • I confess that the Lord is my strength and my song;
  • The Lord is my salvation.
  • The Lord is my God.
  • I praise Him and will exalt the Lord God.
  • Lord God, teach me to praise you and give God the glory.

Responding to God’s Hope

  1. Remember your old normal. Release the past to God. It’s okay to let go of it. It may never return. Cling to the good memories and traditions you ’ve built over the years. List three.
  2. Adjusting to the new normal is hard. List two new things in your daily routine. Ask God to help you with them. An example may be making sure your loved one has their medications filled and takes them.
  3. In spite of your caregiving responsibilities, list five things you are thank you today. Examples would be you can care for your loved one, you still have your loved one where you and your family can see and spend time with them. For what are you thankful?

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When You’re a Caregiver, You Need to Learn to Praise God https://wp.me/p1F1No-2Mz #caregiver #hope @jimmiekepler [CLICK TO TWEET]

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This article is from the forthcoming book, “Hope for the Caregiver: A Biblical Alternative.”