Not Alone

As caregivers, we’re often left out of activities. It’s hard to take a bedridden person to a picnic in a park. It’s tough to maneuver a wheelchair into a theater. It’s awkward to eat in a restaurant when one’s guest makes strange noises, drools, or must be fed. Our friends have stopped inviting us. Maybe they’re practicing compassion—they don’t want to flaunt their active lives, so to avoid awkward situations, they’ve stopped initiating.

Caregiving can be a lonely business. It seems like the world is divided into those who party and those, like us, who stay at home. Uninvited. Unvisited.

But we’re not alone in our sorrow. God understands how we feel when we see parties in full swing—to which we haven’t been invited.

The Bible records stories of people who endured great loneliness. The book of Genesis tells of Abraham’s concubine, Hagar, who knew what it felt like to be barred from the party. She knew what it felt like to sit alone and watch her suffering son. She sobbed.

The God who understood heard her, joined her, and met her needs. He sees you, too.