Caregiving and Receiving

Today we were forced to take a sick day as Bob had surgery several days ago. He is doing well now, I’m happy to say. He was surprised at the struggle to stay awake during sermons while sitting at home on a comfortable couch.

From Bob –

I had an interesting lesson in caregiving: after a relatively simple operation, as I was preparing to be discharged, things became complicated when I fell twice. Best guess is that what I was given to numb the pain for the procedure also numbed my left leg. It felt good and normal right up until I went to use it to stand up, then it felt like it wasn’t there.

I’m not used to needing help and being taken care of, as I think of myself as the caregiver. Now a few days out, I feel a lot of the capabilities coming back, but still some pain and weakness. My wife has become adept at thinking of things I shouldn’t be doing before I’m dumb enough to try them, and put up with my frustrations with kindness and love.

Receiving care is hard and maybe helps to explain how it is to accept Christ’s love and care for us. The reality of our unworthiness in the face of His infinite gift is beyond our comprehension.

As we struggle to care for our caregivers, we must struggle with how do we care for Christ? We are His eyes, arms, and legs; when we care for the least of the needy, we care for Christ.