Lord, help me remember I am doing your work.
Help me to clothe myself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love.
Help me to live out and embody the fruit of the Spirit showing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Enable me to see them through your eyes.
Help me to have compassion as you did and to follow your example.
Ease my burden and provide times of rest and refreshment.
Give me the energy necessary to fulfill my tasks.
Grant me the strength and extra grace to be able to handle things I might not normally be able to handle.
Help me not to lose my joy and give me moments of laughter.
In moments of frustration help me to be slow to anger and to refrain from letting any anger or frustration give a foothold to the devil or lead to any sin.
Comfort me as I mourn what I have lost.
Fill me up with your love so that I'm so full that your love overflows out of me–I do not have the sufficiency to pour this out of my own supply so I need YOUR supply.
Thank you for supplying all of my needs according to your riches in glory through Christ Jesus.
Help me to just be your conduit and means through which you work and help me to remember that it's you THROUGH me.
Thank you for trusting me with this role of caring for another.
Dear heavenly Father,
Provide the words of comfort I can say.
Provide strength to make it through this day.
I cannot fix things or take control.
I accept this, trust in you, and let it go.
Help me listen and be present through the grief.
When I grow weary, provide me with relief.
May this experience transcend this earthly plain.
Help us find greater meaning beyond just pain.
Heal our wounded places.
Restore us to wholeness.
Provide your peace and loving presence to guide us and to hold us.
In the name of your Son, the Great Physician.
Amen
Healing Presence,
do not abandon (name of person)
in her time of need
and great distress,
in this time of transition.
Enfold her and her family
and all those who care for her
under the wings of Shekinah,
Bless them with peace, tranquility, calm
in the midst of the whirlwind
of this terrible illness.
O Allah care for our parents as they used to care for us, and make us pleasing to you and to them in our manners.
O Allah, Who taught our parents so much love and forgiveness for us, open our hearts to our parents and forgive us whenever we forget or err.
Amen.
Creator God,
thank you for the sacredness of this ministry to be a caregiver. It is truly one of the most challenging and gratifying opportunities in my life. The days I want to return to a sense of normalcy are the days that my spirit needs to be fed. In the midst of caregiving, I turn to you to fill my soul with what is needed for the moment. Only you know the path that is marked out as I walk this journey with my loved one. Help me to trust you. May my caregiving be a blessing to the one I love and thank you for the blessing I have received as their caregiver. You are the source of all life and grace and I cannot do this alone.
Amen.
God of Providence,
I need to remember that I am called upon to only do what I can. As I care for my loved one, grace me with the trust to rely on you as each day unfolds. Give me the strength to be strong in those times when my loved one becomes weaker and needs increased care. Give me clarity of vision for him/her as their own ability to think clearly eludes them. When my own vision is clouded by fatigue and frustration, give me respite moments so I will regain new energy to provide the care needed.
God of Justice,
empower me to be generous as I share in caregiving for my loved one. Let me give to him/her out of a place of abundance so their spirit will be nourished. Help me be a voice for ___________ when society discounts or minimizes theirs. In those moments when my spirit is dry and my body is tired, empower me to seek help so that I can deliver quality care and respect at all times.
God of Mercy,
some days I need mercy for myself as much as for the one I am caring for. Can I forgive myself for not doing everything perfectly? Can I forgive my loved one for not remembering to be safe as he/she strives to maintain his/her independence? Can I be forgiving when my fear of losing them conflicts with their fear of losing their independence? It is then when I need patience to walk gently with ___________. My fear for the unknown future causes me to be reactive at times. Help me trust your plan for him/her. Teach me to embrace the fragileness of the human body and to let go of expectations I have toward ___________ who needs my assistance. Whatever I do for another, I want to wrap it with kindness, compassion and authenticity.