
The Gift of Forgiveness
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.—Colossians 3:13 (NIV)
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.—MATTHEW 10:39 ESV
Caregiving entails a lot of loss as we often find ourselves undergoing changes in our career, living situations, even the ability to attend church at will. Faced with all that, it would be easy to become depressed and anxious. And if that’s all caring for an ill human being involved, then there would be much reason for sorrow.
But God calls all of us as caregivers to take up this cross for His sake. We who value human life as a gift of God, and who obey Him in caring for it, dedicate our sacrifice to the Lord—not to any particular person. When we as caregivers sacrifice one thing, Jesus blesses us in new ways. In the end, any loss we suffer will be so much less than the gain.
What better present could a Christian offer than faithful service to a loved one? But this gift is given twice—first to Jesus and then to the recipient of care. It’s a two-for-one gift that earns an eternal reward.
Help me remember, Lord, that when I give care, I’m working for You, too. I want to give You the best service—and love my family member through it.

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.—Colossians 3:13 (NIV)

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.—Psalm 91:11 (NIV)

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.—Romans 5:8 (NIV)