Especially Loved

A tender reminder that the Creator of it all has YOU at the forefront of His mind at all times.

Do you ever find yourself moving so fast through your day that you realize that roar of your belly at bedtime is because you forgot to eat? Or maybe you are moving so swiftly throughout your day that you forget to brush your teeth or put on deodorant? Don’t judge me, because I know I am not the only one who has done that last one! Ha!

As a mother, caregiver, and teacher, I can tell you that I often find myself so busy that I forget to eat or do other common things because of how busy I am caring for others. Don’t get me wrong. I really love caring for others. God placed in me the desire to serve others and help when I can. Empaths struggle, however, with filling our own cups in the process of pouring into others. This leads to burnout and feeling forgotten about. Empaths, or people who are known to feel very deeply about things in general and for others, tend to give away more than they get. It’s like a scale that never seems to find its balance. We are either overflowing or we are bone dry.

But really, we deceive ourselves; we cannot truly serve others when we are so emotionally and mentally spent. We literally have nothing to give, so we give out of a deficit. We find ourselves frustrated, overstimulated, and overwhelmed. We go from giving everything to feeling alone and forgotten. It can be so easy to go from one extreme to the other in no time. Especially when you are a caregiver of others or of your own family. I want you to know that you are not alone. You are worthy of being the priority and getting the care and love you absolutely deserve.

In this article, I want to invite you to PAUSE. Take a few minutes away from the work, laundry, and prep for tomorrow. Just get a cozy place by yourself and open your heart to be filled up with something truly sustaining: the goodness of a God who is crazy about you. He wants nothing more than to sit with you and restore what we sometimes deplete ourselves of unintentionally. I hope that you will walk away with renewed hope and confidence that you are not forgotten. You deserve to be poured into, too.

I see you

There is an account of a woman in the Bible who lived for many years with an issue of blood, Luke 8:43-48. The Bible says twelve years, to be exact, that she had this ailment. The account says she went to many doctors and spent all her money, and no one could find a cure for her. Can you imagine? Bleeding nonstop for twelve years with no explanation? The ladies and doctors reading know that this shedding of lining in our bodies affects not only the discomfort but also the hormonal changes that are supposed to happen in our bodies during menstruation. This poor woman was living in her own personal hell. Her body was doing something no one could explain, nor could they stop, and as you can imagine, she was probably feeling pretty hopeless at this time. In verse 44, it tells us she decided that hope was not lost, but it was walking past her right then. The man who not only could forgive sins but also heal broken bodies was passing by her at that exact moment. HE was her answer. Faith moved her toward him, and all she could get was the hem of his clothes. Instantly, she was healed. Like turning off a faucet. Done. Jesus asked who it was who touched Him, but He knew. He had this woman declare publicly what she had done, not to embarrass her, but to elevate her faith so that others could see it. Jesus wanted her to know that he saw her. Though he was in transit somewhere else, He made sure to be present for anyone who needed him. Anyone who needed peace and restoration could have it. He healed her and blessed her with peace (v.48).

Let’s go fishing

I am doing a series at church this month for our special needs ministry that explores the miracles Jesus did right on or near the beach. One of the miracles was when he met some new friends who were going about their work as fishermen. This was a rough day at work. The men could not catch anything to save their own lives, and up walks this guy who says, “Let’s go fishing!” in so many words. Now, someone who has been trying all day and night to catch something and has had no success might be really annoyed or even hurt by this man’s words. Jesus was teaching and casually got into the boat of Simon (later called Peter) and told him to push the boat out a little from the shore (Luke 5:3). Mind you, he was teaching the crowds, but made this encounter a priority with Simon. He had no idea his life was about to be rocked in the best way. Jesus told him to let down the same net into the same water Simon had been on all day and all night, scripture states. I am sure he was just over it at this point. Tired, frustrated, and maybe even concerned about how he was going to provide for his family. He did it, though! Not only did he catch fish, but he caught so many that the nets began to break and the boat began to sink! (v. 5:6)

I love this part of the story! It resonates so much with where I am personally in life right now. Jesus did not forget about Simon. He was setting him up. Jesus could have done this miracle at the shore in front of all those people, but He didn’t. It was personal. He wanted to go out with Simon to get the fish Simon didn’t know he was going to catch. Jesus gave him what he had been seeking, but made sure He was there to personally walk it out with him until the blessing was fulfilled. Simon was completely overwhelmed by the might of God, but also by His goodness.

You’re number one

As caregivers, we seldom have time in our day to put ourselves first, but we are worth the effort. Jesus came to lift the heavy burdens we feel might crush us every day if help doesn’t come. He says, “Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 He is ready to take the hard stuff and replace the burden of it with his peace. That doesn’t mean He always takes away the hurdles, but it means He will give us peace knowing He is carrying the heaviest part of it. He loves you and loves all that you want to pour into others. Jesus loves you and wants nothing more than to be with you on your journey. I can’t promise that life will get easier as you care for others, but I can say whenever I come to the One who can carry it all and ask Him to fill me up, He does. He is crazy about you and wants to give you everything you need for this journey. Just ask Him, and you’ll see the heaviness of life get a lot lighter each time because He is carrying you.

Joke of the month: “Why shouldn’t you write with a broken pencil?…Because it’s pointless.”

I hope this article encouraged you today! Come back next time. Thank you for reading along!