
The Courage to Move Forward
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.—PSALM 34:7 (NIV)
You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.—PSALM 86:5 NIV
Emotions besiege us as caregivers. Sometimes the constant assault causes us to barricade our hearts with high, protective walls. Even so, waves of feeling attack us when we’re tired or discouraged—our weakest moments.
We are often tossed back and forth between anger and despair, fear and confidence, joy and consuming sorrow. The intensity of all that raw emotion leaves us exhausted. Often we’re tempted to try to seal out all feelings…as if we ever could.
We’re not perfect. And there’s really no such thing as a “perfect caregiver.” Our best strategy is to acknowledge our
volatile moods and find healthy ways to express them. In prayer, we can connect with God’s own heart and learn to be gentle and forgiving—with others and ourselves.
God understands and wants to help us. Instead of creating our own walls of protection, let’s cover our hearts with His love and forgiveness. Express your feelings to Him, knowing that He understands, forgives, and strengthens with His love.
Lord of all emotions, I cry out to You from the depths of my feelings. I am overwhelmed and don’t know where to go with all these bottled-up emotions. I know You understand. Thank You for being there—protecting, forgiving, and loving me no matter how I feel.

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.—PSALM 34:7 (NIV)

“Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.”—Mark 11:23 (NIV)

“Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”—1 Samuel 3:9 (NLT)
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