Living Free Every Day®

Today's Scripture
"Moses' father-in-law replied, 'What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.'" Exodus 18:17-18 NIV

Thoughts for Today
When Moses was leading God's people from Egypt to their homeland, he was overwhelmed with his responsibilities in caring for the needs of his people. In Exodus 18 Moses receives life-changing advice from his father-in-law. In essence, Jethro told Moses that the process Moses was using was a bad thing for Moses and for the people he was trying to help. It was wearing them all out!

Jethro presented a plan for delegation that Moses began to follow, and everyone was better off.

Consider this…
Caregiving can be an overwhelming responsibility, but we might be hesitant to ask for help for any number of reasons. "If I don't do it, it won't be done right." "I don't need help." "My sister already has so much to do—I just hate to ask." "My brother lives so far away."

We can always come up with reasons why we shouldn't ask anyone else to help. But the fact is, our parents and we will all be better off if we share the load with others. We might even be depriving others of a blessing if we refuse their help!

Consider meeting with other family members and friends. Work out a plan in which each of you can do what you do best, or what circumstances will allow.

Moses learned that sharing the load was better—you will too.

Prayer
Father, I know that sometimes I'm too much of a "do it myself" person. I guess it may be a mixture of pride, a desire for control, and sometimes just not wanting to bother other people. Help me to recognize when the job is too much for me to do alone and to be willing to share the load. In Jesus' name …

These thoughts were drawn from…
Caregiving: Caring for Aging Parents by Charles Puchta. The purpose of this group curriculum is to provide hope and direction to those concerned about the health and well-being of aging parents or an ill spouse or relative. It addresses predominate issues most families face. Note: This curriculum was written especially for small groups and we encourage people to use it that way. However, it can also be used effectively as a personal study for individuals or couples.

Visit our website to read more about this study and learn more about Living Free.  

 

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