When our sojourn to Arkansas started, even before the actual move in October 2013, I was drawn to the Arkansas State University campus here in Mountain Home and the beautiful facility called the Vada Scheid Center. Over a year ago, my husband and I attended a benefit at "the Scheid," and I held at bay the nudging in my spirit that hoped one day I would get to speak there.
On Tuesday, April 12, 2016, not only did I live that dream of speaking at the Scheid, but by God's grace the official "launch" was made of the ministry of Regifted Grace. For the first time, I publicly spoke about the manuscript for REGIFTED GRACE™: Becoming a Beatitudes Believer in Caregiving.
Nearly 11 months ago, I asked the question, "Where is God in Alzheimer's." So, when Randall Drake (our family elder law attorney since 2009) asked me to speak at the Elder Care Symposium he organized for medical professionals and the community, I wept when he specifically asked me to talk about the book and spiritually encourage caregivers. Through the writing of REGIFTED GRACE, God showed me where I could find Him and how to tell others. Last Tuesday, I began "to tell."
Beatitudes and Fruit of the Spirit: When Jesus spoke to the disciples just before delivering the Sermon on the Mount, He described to the disciples the virtues He needed them to exhibit in order to carry on the ministry after He returned to Heaven. Those virtues are the Beatitudes and, in answer to my question, they describe how I am to live my life in honor to God. I am to be poor in spirit, mourn for the lost, be meek, hunger for righteousness, be merciful, be pure in heart, be a peacemaker, and rejoice in persecution. The Beatitudes represent our vertical relationship with our Abba Father. The fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) represents our horizontal relationships with others. REGIFTED GRACE combines, in order, the Beatitudes with the fruit to understand that the way we live our life in honor to God is to be reflected in how we caregive for others. And, in the process, God allows us to reside in His presence to live out an authentic faith, even in the gut-wrenching task of caregiving for someone with Alzheimer's.
Last Tuesday, I reassured the caregivers that God promises to never exclude them from His presence, that Jesus knew what it felt like to sacrifice, and that God promises to show mercy to those who show mercy to others.
My prayer immediately after Randall asked me to speak centered around this one point: "Lord, what do You need me to tell them?" I told them that, as a caregiver, God sees how we pour out abundant mercy and grace to our loved ones, He sees every one of our struggles, and He promises to stand with us as we labor in love. He loves us deeply and mourns with us as we grieve the process of losing someone to Alzheimer's. I told them God loves them deeply.
And, at the end, I told them this:
"Where is God in Alzheimer's? Look in the mirror. You are a reflection of God's love to those receiving your care. YOUR hands and YOUR feet are being used by God to show your loved ones His grace, mercy, and compassion."
Not only has God shown me an answer to where is He in Alzheimer's, He has shown me my calling, He has given to me the lifelong desire of my heart to write this amazing God-inspired book for caregivers, He has now actively returned me to my passion for speaking words of encouragement into others, and He has taught me how to demonstrate His love for mom through our caregiving of her.
As the above verse states, REGIFTED GRACE has now officially been "launched by God's grace and now safely home by God's grace." God's calling was made evident in Arkansas, and His ministry for REGIFTED GRACE was launched in Arkansas.
"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!' " (Isaiah 6:8-NIV).
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You are blessing me beyond words. I am so moved by your message of REGIFTED GRACE. God is merciful and I am so glad I can pray you through your journey.
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