Timely Tidbit of Truth, A Caregiver’s Calling

Timely Tidbit of Truth, A Caregiver’s Calling
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

God has not called you to the place of perfect service,
but to the place of faithful service…
not to the place of work without rest,
but to the place of rest in your work…
not to the place of making everyone happy,
but to the place of pleasing Him.

“I will not give up as long as there is strength in His arm, tenderness in His heart, and truth in His promise.” William Gurnall

But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV).

Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully (1 Peter 5:7 AMP).

#caregiver #caregivermonth #caringforlovedones #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #prayersandpromisesforcaregivers #blesseddaycards #acaregiverscalling

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Graphics and photography by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

The Caregiver’s Song

The Caregiver’s Song
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Father, You’re the strength that lifts the burden,
You’re the oil that soothes the pain;
You’re the sunlight when there’s darkness,
You’re the shelter in the rain.
You’re the hand that brings all healing,
You’re the song that calms all fear;
You’re the peace that brings all comfort,
You’re the God who’s always near.

The Lord is my strength and my song; He has given me victory (Psalm 118:15 NLT).

#caregiver #caregivermonth #caringforlovedones #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #prayersandpromisesforcaregivers #blesseddaycards

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Graphics and photography by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

My Morning Prayer, A Caregiver’s Resolve

My Morning Prayer, A Caregiver’s Resolve
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

By God’s grace and the strength that the Holy Spirit supplies, I resolve:

• To look upon this time as a caregiver, whether short or long, as God’s appointment.
• To consider it an honor to be the extension of His love to someone in need.
• To do what I do from a thankful heart, with all my heart, as unto to the Lord.
• To be quick to extend forgiveness to others, and to guard my heart against bitterness or resentment.
• To maintain a quiet spirit that trusts God fully.
• To seek those times, whenever possible, to take breaks, be refreshed, and “come aside to rest awhile.”
• To choose joy, and not lose the gift of laughter.
• To seek God’s strength in my weakness, to receive His mercies when I have fallen short, to draw upon His grace in my inadequacy, to receive His refreshing when I have grown weary, and to keep the eyes of faith upon Him in all I do.

The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy (Psalm 28:7 NLT).

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13 NKJV).

My Morning Prayer
-Marina Bromley

My sweetest Lord, Jesus, as I read the words above, it all seems overwhelming...until I start at the beginning, "By God’s grace and the strength that the Holy Spirit supplies..."

Lord, I can NOT do this on my own, by my own will, my own power, my own want. It is only through your grace and strength that the Holy Spirit supplies! So Father, would you send your Holy Spirit to come upon me, to equip me, to pour out your grace and strength, that I may be your hands and feet to my loved one as I serve you by serving them? In Jesus's name, amen.

#caregiver #caregivermonth #caringforlovedones #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #prayersandpromisesforcaregivers #blesseddaycards

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Graphics and photography by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

Timely Tidbit of Truth, A Caregiver’s Reassurance

Timely Tidbit of Truth, A Caregiver’s Reassurance
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

God wants you to move through this day with a quiet heart,
an inward assurance that He is in control,
a peaceful certainty that your life is in His hands,
a deep trust in His plan and purposes,
and a thankful disposition toward all that He allows.

Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you (Psalm 55:22 AMP).

I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety (Psalm 4:8 NKJV).

#caregiver #caregivermonth #caringforlovedones #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #prayersandpromisesforcaregivers #blesseddaycards #acaregiversreassurance

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Graphics and photography by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

I Only Need You, Lord…

I Only Need You, Lord…
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

I only need You, Lord, when I rise up and when I sit down; when I go out and when I come in; when I am quiet and when I am active; when I am alone and when I am with others; when I am healthy and when I am ill; when I am up and when I am down; when I am on the go and when I need to wait.

I only need You, Lord, when my lungs need to breathe; when my blood needs to flow, when my body needs to move; when my muscles need to work; when my mind needs to think, when heart needs to love.

I only need You, Lord, for as long as birds need flight, for as long as whales need the sea, for as long as clouds need moisture, for as long as wildflowers need raindrops, for as long as sunflowers need the summer sun.

I only need You, Lord, for this present moment, for the moment when You take me home, for all the moments in-between, and for all the moments ever after.

In Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28 NKJV).
My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV).

#caregiver #caregivermonth #caringforlovedones #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #prayersandpromisesforcaregivers #blesseddaycards

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Graphics and photography by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

My Morning Prayer, Hands To Serve

My Morning Prayer, Hands To Serve
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

God will work through your hands—

To support someone who is weak…
To raise someone who has fallen…
To uphold someone who is weary…
To wipe a tear…
To hold a hand…
To give a cup of water…
To embrace…
To carry a burden…
To impart a blessing.

Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28 NLT).

He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength (Psalm 23:2-3 NLT).

My Morning Prayer
-Marina Bromley

Father, God, you are so dependable and your love for me shines through everything you have in your hand for me. Lord, just as you provide for me—for those that I love, please help me to pour out your goodness to those around me that I care for. Equip me to serve those who are so close to me, and so close to your heart. Pour out your love for them through me, and let me not hinder your support, your raising and upholding, your kindness in wiping tears or holding hands, your your provisions of giving a drink of water or a warm meal, to embrace and carry them and their burdens, and to pour out your blessings, just as you do. In Jesus's name, amen.

#caregiver #caregivermonth #caringforlovedones #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #prayersandpromisesforcaregivers #blesseddaycards

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Graphics and photography by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

Timely Tidbit of Truth, Today…

Timely Tidbit of Truth, Today…
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Today…

God greets you with new mercies…begin there;
He welcomes you to the throne of grace…pray there;
He guides you in the paths of peace…walk there;
He will be your strength…live there;
He will care for you…rest there.

The Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled (Romans 15:4 NLT).

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT).

#caregiver #caregivermonth #caringforlovedones #today #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #prayersandpromisesforcaregivers #blesseddaycards

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Graphics and photography by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

The Caregiver’s Greatest Need

The Caregiver’s Greatest Need
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

What is a caregiver’s greatest need?

It is not skill, although it is a good to get all the training possible.
It is not perfection, although it is good to do your very best.
It is not resources, although it is necessary to have the right supplies and aids.
It is not support, although it is important to have help and encouragement.
It is not more time away, although it is important to take breaks, have leisure time, and be refreshed.

The greatest need of a caregiver is love.

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13 NJKV).

Human love, although sincere and sacrificial, has its limitations and weaknesses. God is the only source of love without limits and whose love does not fail. God’s love flows on when human love has been expended, and the resources of His love will never be depleted.

His love is like a cluster of grapes that brings forth the sweet fruit of joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

God, I am in need of Your unfailing love. Pour forth, through my heart, love’s sweet fruit of kindness, patience, longsuffering, gentleness, and self-control. Be in me the love that never stops hoping, never stops believing, and never comes to an end. In Jesus's Name, Amen!

#caregiver #caregivermonth #caringforlovedones #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #prayersandpromisesforcaregivers #blesseddaycards

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Graphics and photography by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

My Morning Prayer, The Caregiver’s Prayer

My Morning Prayer, The Caregiver’s Prayer
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Father, help me, by Your grace, to be a caregiver as You care for us—work through my hands with the touch of compassion, see through my eyes with the clarity of understanding, shine through my countenance with the light of kindness, speak through my voice with the words of comfort and encouragement, minister through my spirit with grace and patience, and give through my heart with the never-ending gift of love. In Jesus's Name, Amen!

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say (2 Thessalonians 2:17 NLT).

#caregiver #caregivermonth #caringforlovedones #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #prayersandpromisesforcaregivers #blesseddaycards

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Graphics and photography by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

Timely Tidbit of Truth, A Caregiver’s Blessing…

Timely Tidbit of Truth, A Caregiver’s Blessing…
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

May you have the power to understand…how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think (Ephesians 3:18-20 NLT).

#caregiver #caregivermonth #caringforlovedones #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #prayersandpromisesforcaregivers #blesseddaycards

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Graphics and photography by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

Discovering God’s Care for Caregivers

Discovering God’s Care for Caregivers
-Roy Lessin

Anyone who needs care needs a caregiver. Caregiving can mean a short term assignment or a long term commitment. For many, caregiving has come unexpectedly and has changed their plans, challenged their schedules and altered their priorities.

Although different, the needs of a caregiver can be as great as the needs of the one in their care. To be a caregiver is a reminder that to do good is not always easy; to give sacrificially is not always recognized; and to be available is not always convenient.

Caregivers can grow weary, even in well doing. All caregivers need strength, patience, support, and encouragement. It is important for the caregiver to know that someone cares for them.

(The Lord has been sent)…to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory (Isaiah 61:1-3 NLT).

...

#caregiver #caregivermonth #caringforlovedones #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #prayersandpromisesforcaregivers #blesseddaycards

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Graphics and photography by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

My Morning Prayer, Caregivers Who Care

Dear Friends,

Those of you who have been with us over the years know how much our hearts beat for the caregivers of the world. Whether caring for children (of any age), a parent, sibling, your spouse, a neighbor or friend, or if caregiving is a part of your career, they all carry some similarities. Because of Roy and Char’s life experiences and my own exposure to caregiving in missions and ministry, we find it an important part of the ministry of Meeting in the Meadow.

November is known as “National Family Caregivers Month” in the U.S., and it is a dedicated time to honor the efforts of family members who care for their loved ones. We have normally posted prayers and devotions in November in honor of this needed recognition, but we felt it would be beneficial to post them in October this year, with hope that they may be shared in a timely manner to those that need encouragement and support. As a caregiver, may you be blessed in reading them—renewed in your strength, compassion, and focus. As a care-receiver, may you better understand all that goes into making a well-equipped caregiver, and have a new appreciation for the ways your loved one serves you, as unto the Lord. May we all remember how important and loved we are, that we are not alone in this difficult journey, as He walks through shadowed valleys and climbs bright mountain tops with us.

Grace and Peace,
Marina
 
Caregivers Who Care
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

“…God looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

From a Kingdom perspective, what we do and why we do it are both important. This is especially true for caregivers. Our hearts and our hands need to be in agreement.

What should you do as a caregiver if your heart isn’t in it? The answer is simple. Continue to help and ask God to change your heart. Ask Him to make you into a caregiver who truly cares.

Care for someone as God cares for you…

Give a cup of water as though Jesus was about to drink it. Extend your hand as though Jesus was about to grasp it. Speak a word as though Jesus was about to hear it.

Care with a smile on your heart!

Hear His words as you bring His heart to others…

“I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” (Matthew 25:40 NLT).

My Morning Prayer
-Marina Bromley

My sweetest Father God, I might wonder why you have placed me in the position of needing a caregiver, or being a caregiver, and I only have to open my Bible to see the many examples of care-giving you have provided. You are a God who cares!

As we read the devotions intended for caregivers, help me to see that I am not alone in this endeavor. Thank you, Lord, for keeping your watchful eye over me and those I care for. Help us to worship you together, and to feel your purpose and presence in our everyday struggles. May you be glorified as I serve you by serving my loved one, and may this be a humble offering to you. In Jesus' name, amen.

.....

#caregiver #caregivermonth #caringforlovedones #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #prayersandpromisesforcaregivers #blesseddaycards

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Graphics and photography by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

Timely Tidbits of Truth 83

Timely Tidbits of Truth 83
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Since the beginning of the church of Jesus Christ, believers have always faced trials, testing, hardships, and persecutions. When Jesus spoke about the end times He had these things to say to His people:

*Be standing firm
*Be watchful
*Be peaceful
*Be prayerful
*Be sober
*Be ready
*Do not be fearful
*Do not be troubled
*Do not let your heart be weighed down with cares
*Do not be spiritually asleep
 
Matthew 24

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©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

Ten Certainties for Uncertain Times, Part 10

Ten Certainties for Uncertain Times, Part 10

-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Jesus Christ will never let you go.

He is with you always. No one can pluck you out of His hand. He is in you, and you are in Him. He is your Shepherd, and He will watch over you. You need not fear any evil. He is your High Priest. He is daily interceding for you, and His prayers are being answered. He is your Bridegroom. He is preparing a place for you in His Father’s house and He will come for you. 
 
His hands that hold you are pierced hands. If you ever question His love for you, look at His hands. His arms were once outstretched on the cross so that He could embrace you now with His unfailing love. When He shed His blood, He took your sin; when He died on the cross, He took your death; when He ascended into hell, He took your judgment; when He rose from the grave, He won your victory.
 
Jesus will never ask you to do something without His grace. In the dark times, He will be your light. In troubled times, He will be your security. In uncertain times, He will be your guidance. In fearful times, He will be your peace. You will never face a day without Him; you will never take a step without Him walking beside you; you will never face a need without His supply; you will never face a circumstance that He can’t bring you through triumphantly. 
 

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep (John 10:1-15 NKJV).

#devotional #certainties #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #blesseddaycards

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.