Retreats for People Living with Chronic Illness and their Caregivers
Healing for Caregivers -- No Small Wonder
Jesus left the synagogue and went to Simon's home. Simon's mother-in-law was sick with a high fever and they spoke to Jesus about her. He went and stood at her bedside and ordered the fever to leave her. The fever left her and she got up at once and began to wait on them.
Luke 4:38-39
Good News Bible
The New Testament of the Bible is filled with miracles -- Jesus walking on water, restoring sight to the blind, and raising the dead.
But Jesus' miraculous healing of Simon's mother-in-law is one of my favorites. Why? Because it shows how much God loves caregivers and the work they do.
Simon's mother-in-law is the ultimate caregiver. Never identified by name, we know her only by her role in the family. She was likely an old woman who had spent her life giving to others -- drawing and carrying water daily from the local well as a young girl, baking bread on hot stones for her husband and children, and ultimately helping rear her grandchildren.
Her miracle is not as dramatic as many of the others recorded in the Christian Bible. There aren't many preachers who build sermons around it. And although I have never done an official survey, I don't recall it ever being depicted in one of those movies about the life of Jesus -- the ones shot in color with casts of thousands!
This is, for many, a small miracle. But it is one that rings true because caregiving is a central fact of life for so many of us. All of us will at some point need to care for another -- possibly an aging parent, a disabled spouse, a child with special needs or friend in the midst of a medical crisis.
I am not one to improve on divine miracles. I think Jesus did a terrific job healing, feeding and blessing those around him. But after reading the passage about Simon's mother-in-law, I found myself wanting Jesus to do more.
I found myself wishing Jesus would tell this lovely woman to "take the rest of the day off." To rest, relax and reclaim her strength. After all, it may have been the stress of preparing for a visit from the renowned teacher that landed her in bed with a fever in the first place!
But instead of resting, once healed, she "got up at once and began to wait on them."
Maybe as modern day, 21st century caregivers we can remember something that Simon's mother-in-law was never taught. Namely, that it is important to make time to rest and renew our minds, bodies and spirits. We can always depend on God but we can also let love and compassion for ourselves be miracles that sustain us.
On Saturday, October 22, Spirited Movement will offer "Care for Caregivers" a wonderful retreat for people who give so much to others. It promises to be a wonderful day filled with sharing and support. Registration is available on our website or by calling 781 385-9401. I hope you will attend!
Blessings,
Lindsay
Luke 4:38-39
Good News Bible
The New Testament of the Bible is filled with miracles -- Jesus walking on water, restoring sight to the blind, and raising the dead.
But Jesus' miraculous healing of Simon's mother-in-law is one of my favorites. Why? Because it shows how much God loves caregivers and the work they do.
Simon's mother-in-law is the ultimate caregiver. Never identified by name, we know her only by her role in the family. She was likely an old woman who had spent her life giving to others -- drawing and carrying water daily from the local well as a young girl, baking bread on hot stones for her husband and children, and ultimately helping rear her grandchildren.
Her miracle is not as dramatic as many of the others recorded in the Christian Bible. There aren't many preachers who build sermons around it. And although I have never done an official survey, I don't recall it ever being depicted in one of those movies about the life of Jesus -- the ones shot in color with casts of thousands!
This is, for many, a small miracle. But it is one that rings true because caregiving is a central fact of life for so many of us. All of us will at some point need to care for another -- possibly an aging parent, a disabled spouse, a child with special needs or friend in the midst of a medical crisis.
I am not one to improve on divine miracles. I think Jesus did a terrific job healing, feeding and blessing those around him. But after reading the passage about Simon's mother-in-law, I found myself wanting Jesus to do more.
I found myself wishing Jesus would tell this lovely woman to "take the rest of the day off." To rest, relax and reclaim her strength. After all, it may have been the stress of preparing for a visit from the renowned teacher that landed her in bed with a fever in the first place!
But instead of resting, once healed, she "got up at once and began to wait on them."
Maybe as modern day, 21st century caregivers we can remember something that Simon's mother-in-law was never taught. Namely, that it is important to make time to rest and renew our minds, bodies and spirits. We can always depend on God but we can also let love and compassion for ourselves be miracles that sustain us.
On Saturday, October 22, Spirited Movement will offer "Care for Caregivers" a wonderful retreat for people who give so much to others. It promises to be a wonderful day filled with sharing and support. Registration is available on our website or by calling 781 385-9401. I hope you will attend!
Blessings,
Lindsay
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© 2012 Created by Lindsay McGrath.
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