SCRIPTURE
“…I was sick and you took care of me.”
Matthew 25:36
REFLECTION
In the fall of 2008, I was 22 and in a horrendous car accident, suffering major internal and external injuries. After multiple surgeries I was unable to walk for 9 months. My parents changed their lives to provide 24/7 care for me while I healed.
Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash
Many nights my mom and I sat and cried and prayed together and our bond with each other and God grew stronger. I decided then that I needed to get my life back on track and start going back to church.
Fast forward to 2018, my father needed major heart surgery in February, and in July my mother had a stroke and blood clot in her lungs. My mom spent a week in ICU. In that week I stayed with her every night in the hospital. Every night I prayed and asked God to show me how to take care of her when she came home. I have seen and felt the multiple ways he wants me to carry out his work. I do not remember calling 911 that night she was taken to the hospital, but I know God took my hand and pushed those buttons on the phone.
ACTION
When was there a time you had to take care of someone (unexpectedly or knowingly)?
How did you feel/sense/hear/know God was with you through your caregiving journey?
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, you know caregiving. Teach it to me as I walk this path. Help me do each task for your name’s sake, the way you would want me to, the way I would do it for you. Thank you for being beside me today and all the days forward. Amen.
Tish Tangeman is a young woman who continues as a caretaker for her mother. She also works outside the home and is the Clerk of Session for the Byers Community Church. She is a vital and inspiring member of our congregation.