AlzLove: Feeling sad? You are loved, protected, and chosen by Jesus. He is with you.

ISAIAH 43:2

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

If you are reading this, then chances are that you are now in the middle of a fire storm battling the walk of Alzheimer’s with your loved one. The above scripture, Isaiah 43:2, is a powerful verse. It is describing that when life gets harder than you ever imagined, and you wonder if you are going to ever get through to the other side of it, that God is with you. It states that He will protect you, and you will walk away from this situation unscathed. If you are like me then you may have a rebuttal to say to your Heavenly Father that while you are walking this brutal journey of Alzheimer's with your loved one, that you ARE getting burned! It hurts when your loved one lashes out and says unkind words or refuses to listen when you try to keep them out of harm's way. During this journey in life, you may have witnessed your loved one's mood become physically or mentally abusive and the once happy and calm person that you once knew, is now using you as a battle ground or a punching bag.

As I was praying this morning, I asked Jesus about my own Alzheimer's journey with my mother. He pressed on my heart that I did walk through the fire, and I did NOT get burned. 

I asked him to EXPLAIN because when I walked this journey, I truly felt like I WAS being burned!

My Heavenly Father gently spoke to my soul and asked me to take a long look in the mirror and reflect at the person that was staring back at me. As I took a deeper look at my reflection, I realized that I was not the same person that I was before I walked my mother through her journey which lasted from her diagnosis to her funeral. As I peered deeply at the reflection in the mirror, I could see that I was stronger, more confident, and I even had a bit of sassy on top of dry humor. I realized that during the journey, my heart for Jesus had grown tenfold because I constantly cried out to my Lord Jesus for help during this time. Even though the difficult task of caring for my mother was one of the most challenging episodes of my life, I now felt an inner joy and peace that can only come with walking with my Heavenly Father. My sensitivity to the needs of others had been heightened because I saw firsthand the ongoing (potentially life-threatening) needs of my mother that respectfully superseded my own. My once selfish nature began to shift, as I found myself constantly putting my mother's needs ahead of my own. This was easily done because I was so busy during that time, I hardly had a moment to think about myself. While I still fight with self-centeredness, my Heavenly Father still has no end to using any tough situation I find myself in to create a more beautiful me on the inside. I now welcome any difficult task before me because I know He is with me, and He is able to use any situation I am in to help me become more Christ-like.

There is a story in the Bible that helped change my perspective and gave me the opportunity to see my life through God's eyes. It is the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. If you have not had a chance to read it, it is in the book of Daniel; Chapter 3.

This story is about the King of Babylon, who at the time was King Nebuchadnezzar. As you may know, King Nebuchadnezzar created a golden statue of himself for his people to worship. The golden statue of King Nebuchadnezzar stood 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide. It was placed on the plain of Dura near the city of Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar commanded everyone in the city to bow down and worship his golden statue when music was played at various times during the day. Nebuchadnezzar issued a decree that whoever did not fall down on their knees and worship his golden statue would be thrown into a blazing furnace to suffer a fiery death.

However, three Jewish men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego chose to worship only their God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They ignored the decree to worship the image of Nebuchadnezzar. 

When King Nebuchadnezzar found out that they blatantly refused to worship his idol, out of sheer fury, he ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual. He then ordered the guards to throw all three men into the blazing furnace to meet their eminent death.

The highlight of the story is when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the fire, they did NOT burn! Not only did they not get burned, but their hair was not singed, their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

I would have loved to have seen this! Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego showed their unbinding faith in their Heavenly Father, and they were willing to give their lives for Him.

As I read this passage in the Bible, I imagined what their faces must have looked like when they were tossed into the fire. They may have had second thoughts, and they may have cried out to their Lord and asked to be spared. They may have wept with tears of joy knowing that they would soon be face to face with their Heavenly Father.

I imagined that when they walked out of the fire that they stood a little taller! They probably had a smile from ear to ear, and they were probably filled up with the joy of the Lord. They were probably laughing incessantly as they realized that not only were they not dead, but they did not even smell like smoke! I imagined they probably fell to their knees and then proceeded to fall fully on their face with their arms stretched out on the ground worshipping their Heavenly Father in thanksgiving.

I imagined that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were very different people walking out of the fire than when they were thrown in.

Through my own journey will Alzheimer's of which Satan came to kill, steal, and destroy my future, (just like he did to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), my Heavenly Father used this situation to mold me into the person I am today, and this gives me great joy! My Heavenly Father created beauty out of ashes! The walk was definitely not easy, and I will ask my Heavenly Father to one day show me the bucket of tears that I shed for my mother over the Alzheimer’s Walk. I will cherish every tear as a tear of love.

Let us pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, You are a God of miracles, and You are our protector in times of trouble. No matter what Satan throws at us, You are always with us in the fire protecting us from the ways of this world. Father, I pray that anyone that is currently walking through the fire that not only do they not get burned, but they receive a heightened sense of your glory, and that they deepen their relationship with You. Father, the sadness of walking through the fire of Alzheimer's makes life weary and You know how to show up in a big way in order to lift our spirits. Lord Jesus, come alongside all of those who are struggling with caring for their loved ones and bless them beyond measure. Send an Angel to protect their heart as the hardship unfolds and show them a miracle or two to expand their perception of your glory. Give them an awareness of You so that they know they are not alone during this time. Father, the greatest gift that anyone can give someone is to be there during the toughest of times. Let them know that they are now warriors for Your kingdom and that this calling is only given to the anointed that are entrusted to be the hands and feet of Jesus. To be called for such a task as this is to be considered royalty! Please give us Your strength and Your wisdom and Your blessings during this time. We love You, Lord Jesus. We praise You that You never leave us or forsake us.

Amen.