Casting Your Cares

“Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”—Psalm 55:22

One of the reasons my husband and I went to visit my mom a day after we got home from our Colorado trip was because that following Thursday we were going to Japan to visit our son and his family for 10 days. I would have felt awful if she had passed while we were gone and we didn’t take the time to go see her.

I told her; your heart is starting to get tired and it is okay if you want to go be with Jesus now. You were a good mom who raised 3 children who loved the Lord and we are going to be okay. I got teary eyed and saw a tear in her eye too. It was a hard leaving her knowing that could have been the last time I saw her here on earth.

However, I know she would want me to take the trip to see my son and his family that I haven’t see in person in over 8 months. I am casting by burdened heart on the Lord. Life needs to keep moving. I couldn’t let guilt keep me from enjoying my time with them. Guilt is a tool from the enemy.

God isn’t asking me to pretend that burden isn’t there. He is asking me to place it in His hands. So, I packed my bags releasing to God what only He can hold. I continue to trust the One who sends angels to minister to my mom.

I wrote this post the day before we left on September 16th. Do you know what scripture was in my morning devotion on September 17th? Psalm 55:22. God was telling me, Lisa, I am with you. I hear your prayers. What a gift for Him to speak to me the morning of our departure.

Psalm 55:22 is a promise from the Ultimate Sustainer, God. He holds us up and doesn’t let the righteous be shaken. He never leaves or forsakes us either. He is by our side. Casting my cares on God doesn’t mean I have stopped caring. It means I can stop carrying what only He can hold for me.

Father God,

I know You see my burdened heart. Thank You for watching over my mother covering her with Your angels. Give wisdom to the caregivers in meeting her needs. I ask for continued peace. Thank You to sustaining me during my travels as well as my mother and family. Continue to teach me to trust Your presence remains when my faith may falter. I lift those up to You who are far away from their ailing loved one. Remove any guilt they may have for not living closer. I pray these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

September Verse

“The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will rejoice over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”—Zephaniah 3:17 (NASB)
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Releasing Plans

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails”—Proverbs 19:21

Proverbs 19:21 really spoke to me this week. I had plans in my heart about moving my mom closer to me, but God’s purpose always prevails when we pray His will and trust He knows the outcome.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about trusting God with my mother’s living situation. I was preparing myself for possibly moving her back closer to me. Once I truly gave it over to God, despite the unknowns, I had peace about it.

Last week my husband and I traveled to Colorado to spend some time with friends as well as attend my husband’s best friend’s daughter’s wedding. The house where we stayed for a few days prior to the wedding, was beautiful. Each morning, I had an amazing view for my morning quiet time. It is hard not to feel God’s peace and presence when you see the nature and beauty of the land around you.

After we left their house and checked into the resort, I was watching my mom’s camera, I could hear her wheezing and struggling to breathe. I called the facility and asked them to give her a nebulizer treatment. I also called hospice to make sure they sent a nurse out to see her the next day.

Thankfully, my brother, Tony, not knowing her health situation, already had plans to visit her that day. I look at how God provided for my brother Vince to have Tony there with him to access my mom’s health as well as meet with the hospice nurse.

In the event that my mother’s health quickly declines, my husband and I took a day trip to see her on Tuesday. My brother Vince set-up a meeting for us with the executive director, head nurse and hospice nurse to go over my mother’s care giving needs as well as our expectations.

At the beginning of the meeting I felt as if they were trying to get us to move her to a skilled nursing facility, but by the end of it, we were assured they could meet her palliative care needs since we also have hospice visiting her.

Right now, they are treating her for pneumonia, but she could also have the beginning of congestive heart failure too. Needless to say, unless my mother makes a miraculous recovery or we are told she can no longer live where she is, she will be staying put.

And you know what? I am at peace about this. I know God knows the bigger picture. He knows what is best for my mom and what is best for me. Only He knows the day my mother will take her last breath, not me.

It wasn’t a sin for me to look at other memory cares. Proverbs 19:21 does not scold me for planning but reminds me no matter the plans in my heart, God’s purpose always prevails.

I released what is out of my control and gave to God what only He can carry. Carrying that weight was never mine. It is not up to me to hold everything together.

By surrendering the illusion that things might be better for her somewhere else, I realized even though where she is living may not be ideal, changing the environment she has known for the past year, would not be the best thing for her.

I am thankful for a sweet visit my husband and I had with her. She was alert and talking. When I asked if she knew who the handsome man was with me, she said, of course I do. That’s my favorite son-in-law.

We were also encouraged from meeting with the staff, that some changes will be made. I continue to trust God knowing He holds my mom in the palm of His Hand.

Father God,

I know You hear my prayers about my mom’s comfort and caregiving needs. Thank You for orchestrating a meeting to give our family hope for improved care. Soften staff hearts to be more compassionate with her. Help me to continue to release what I have no control over. I lift those up to You who are struggling with a loved one with dementia and their living situation. May they lay their worries in Your lap and trust You have their loved one in the palm of Your Hand. I pray these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

September Verse

“The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will rejoice over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”—Zephaniah 3:17 (NASB)
If you are knitting or crocheting gifts to give away, please make sure you tweet @KnitPrayShare or share your projects on the Knit, Pray, Share Facebook page or Instagram using the hashtag #KnitPrayShare. Be sure to attach a tag to whatever gift you make.     

Earthly Father

“The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.”—Psalm 103:13 (NLT)

Today would have been my father’s 89th birthday. It is still hard for me to fathom he has been gone for nearly twenty years now (in November). I still miss him to this day. I think about how much he has missed out on with his grandchildren and now great grandchildren. He would have enjoyed them so much.

He was the glue that held the family together. Family was super important to him. He stepped in and up in mine and my children’s lives to help fill the void after my first husband John’s death. He didn’t think twice moving my son and I into the home I grew up in until I got back on my feet.

I knew when he passed the family dynamics would change with only my mother. They did. For her it wasn’t the same. She was okay with seeing her children and grandchildren a few times a year. This wasn’t the case with my dad. He thrived having us all together.

I see so many of my dad’s traits in my brothers. They too have careers in the automotive industry as well as 3 of his grandchildren. His strong work ethic was instilled in all of us and is now evident in the grandchildren. If you would have told me my son would have ended up in the car business I would have said, no way. But here is working for Toyota Motor Corporation and now living in Japan with his family for two years.

As young adults, my brothers and I may not have always gone to church, when we were younger, but my dad made sure we went. We were in Sunday school and youth group. Because we were raised in the church, all three of us did the same with our families. It is such a blessing to see my children plugged into a church with my grandchildren. I now know what my dad must have felt seeing his children doing it as well.

I realize how fortunate I was to have had a loving father and strong male role model in my life. Not everyone has had this experience. For those who may not have had this, you have a Heavenly Father whose love and compassion for you is greater than an earthly father could give you.

Psalm 103:13 tells us; The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. This connects my earthly experience with the perfect love of my Heavenly Father. Just as my dad showed compassion, God’s compassion is even deeper and more reliable. As great as my dad’s love was for me, God’s is even bigger.

Today as I remember my father, I cherish the good he left behind as his legacy as well as the compassion I received which ultimately points me to the perfect love of my Heavenly Father.

Father God,
Thank You for the gift of my earthly father. While he is no longer here with me, I am thankful for how he reflected Your love in his heart. I rest in the hope that one day we will be reunited together in Your presence. I lift those up to You who may be grieving the death of a loved one. May they feel Your loving arms around them. It is in the name of Jesus Christ I pray these things. Amen.

July Verse
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”—2 Corinthians 3:17

If you are knitting or crocheting gifts to give away, please make sure you tweet @KnitPrayShare or share your projects on the Knit, Pray, Share Facebook page or Instagram using the hashtag #KnitPrayShare. Be sure to attach a tag to whatever gift you make.