The Upper Room Daily Devotional of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "A Fine Line" for Sunday, 24 September 2017 - Read Psalm 73:23-28

The Upper Room Daily Devotional of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "A Fine Line" for Sunday, 24 September 2017 - Read Psalm 73:23-28
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Psalm 73:23 Nevertheless, I am always with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You will guide me with your advice;
and afterwards, you will receive me with honor.
25 Whom do I have in heaven but you?
And with you, I lack nothing on earth.
26 My mind and body may fail; but God
is the rock for my mind and my portion forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who adulterously leave you.
28 But for me, the nearness of God is my good;
I have made Adonai Elohim my refuge,
so that I can tell of all your works.
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The psalmist wrote, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26 (NIV))
I watched my mother’s independence fade each year as she aged. As her hearing became worse, she lost the ability to listen to the radio and the TV. A stroke compromised her vision, and the joy she experienced sewing soon disappeared. She stopped reading and writing. A broken hip, difficulty breathing, heart failure — her independence slipped away day by day. I fervently tried to fix it all, to manage, to make things better, to buy this or that to help. For me, it was a desperate fight. But in the end, my efforts made little difference.
I needed God’s help to see the fine line between caregiving and attempting to stop the inevitable. Over time, I recognized my mother’s losses as part of her journey. As hard as it was, I realized I had to let go of trying to control her situation and trust that her devotion to God would see her through. And it did. The psalmist says, “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God” (Ps. 71:18). My mom trusted God through each devastating loss; and I tried, though imperfectly, to accept her losses and to trust God as well.
See a photo from the author, here.

Beverly with her mother, Grace Ykema Davidson

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The Author: Beverly Taylor (Colorado, USA)
Thought for the Day: God will see me through.
Prayer: Dear God, give us wisdom to let go and entrust those we love to you. Amen.
Prayer focus: Caregivers
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