LETTERS: Caregivers need care, too

To the editor:

I must preface this letter with a famous quote: “Caregivers need care, too!” And another quote: “I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the sovereign Lord – I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak.” — Ezekiel 34:15-16NIV.

Wish I could take credit for the following but someone much wiser than me and unknown wrote the following after the preface.

“Caregivers don’t often slow down enough to consider their own needs. Even when they are physically or emotionally drained or wounded, they push on because they feel they must. Someone’s life depends on it. Sometimes we capably soldier on through our own pain, stoic and enduring. But what if we took some time in quiet, asking God to bind our injuries and supplement our waning strength? When we ask, he restores and a restored soul cares more joyfully.

“Don’t keep on keeping on. Set aside some quiet time to spend before God so he can tend to your injuries and shore up your weaknesses.

“Maybe God will supernaturally meet your needs. Or maybe he will send some of his children to help you. Accept their help willingly, let others serve you. Their mercy is a gift from God.

“At times, God requires that we step out of our comfort zones and ask others for help. That’s not a weakness! Ask God to show you the people who can and will meet your needs because they love Him.”

I’ll conclude with this statement: “God, I get so focused on meeting the needs of those in my care that I forget about my own. Please give me a heart that seeks and accepts your care and the care of others.”

My own words: God bless everyone fighting to beat this pandemic.

Frank D. Slason
Somerville