Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Perseverance”
Our Bible verse for today: “I was sick and you took care of Me…” Matthew 25:36 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Persevere in caring for those who are sick.”
Some of you have probably been following the touching story of country music artists Rory and Joey Feek. Joey has cervical and colon cancer which is terminal and the hospice nurse says she will die any day now.
Rory and Joey have been very open about their long journey together as Joey battled this cancer, even blogging about it and posting pictures along the way. Their love for each other, and Rory’s total devotion and commitment to his wife as he cared for her through this, has touched the hearts of many millions of people. This is how it should be.
Years ago I read the story of the President of a Bible College who was also a popular author and conference speaker. His wife developed Alzheimer’s disease which progressed rapidly and it quickly rendered her an invalid. Even though this man was at the height of his career, he left his position at the Bible College and devoted his full attention to caring for his wife. He explained, “At this point in my life my ministry is to my wife.”
Providing long-term care for a close family member with a serious illness can be difficult and wearing on the primary care-giver. It requires perseverance over the long-term. There was once a family in our church in California who had a severely disabled son. The boy was so physically and mentally handicapped that he was unable to communicate or even to feed, dress, or bathe himself. Many parents would have placed that child in an institution for long-term care. Not them. They committed to caring for him, day-in-and-day-out, for years on end, even into adulthood. I once asked Bill how he did it. His response was, “I begin each day asking the Lord to give me the strength to care for him again today. He always does. Then tomorrow I pray that again.”
In Matthew 25:36 Jesus said that when we care for the sick in His name, as far as He is concerned we are providing that care directly to Him. Helping to care for the sick is always the right thing to do, but that’s especially true if that sick person is a close family member. The Apostle Paul made reference to this in 1Timothy 5:8 with respect to a family’s responsibility to care for widows in their family.
In yesterday’s devotional message the focus was on persevering through your own times of sickness. Today it’s all about perseverance for those who care for the sick. Let me offer you two suggestions:
First, let others help. You don’t have to do it all yourself. And second, take care of yourself. In order to take care of others you have to first take care of yourself. The more worn and frazzled you get, the less effective you will be at caring for those who need you. You won’t have much to give to others if you don’t first take care of yourself. So give yourself plenty of breaks. Rest, eat well, exercise, and make sure you have times just for you.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 