There was a long stretch of my caregiving when my daughter needed to stay at home. My mom did our grocery shopping. My husband took the older kids to church. And I stayed home with Leah. She was in a place medically where she couldn’t get sick without very negative consequences.

I don’t know what your caregiving situation is like. Hopefully, you are still quite able to go to work, worship at church, and meet friends for dinner. But what do you do when your caregiving cuts you off from everyone?

Recognize that you are not alone. God sees everything from your sleepless nights to the endless hours you diligently provide care for your loved one. You can call out to Him anytime you are feeling overwhelmed or alone. He is your refuge and strength, and is  faithful to bring hope to your isolation.

With time you will learn, like I did, that some of your methods were just right and others left something wanting. One thing I would change is allowing myself to be cut off from my faith family, as described above. At the time, we had a limited number of people we allowed at our house (kind of like covid precautions before anyone knew what that meant) and I was happy that my husband and older kids got to attend church together. Leah and I made our own little service at home. But it is not the same as worshiping with fellow believers that are able “to stir up one another to love and good works” or sharing your burdens in prayer.

I can’t go back and change things, but I am thankful that I learned through the situation. Give yourself grace for things that you didn’t do well and learn from your experiences. Ask God to guide you to friends that will come along side you and  encourage you to stay close to the Lord through the highs and lows of your caregiving journey.