Guest post by Susan Fink

When a caregiver or the person being cared for is feeling disheartened, it can be for a myriad of physical and emotional reasons, such as:

• Poor nutrition and/or dehydration
• Exhaustion/lack of sleep
• Mistreatment by others
• Misperceptions of others’ behavior, communication, actions
• Illness or age
• Adjustment to a new situation (job, family or friend circumstances, a physical move, death/loss etc.)
• Stress (physical, emotional, relational)
• Feeling out of control/worried
• Lack of healthy physical activity
• Lack of outdoor activity: sunshine, fresh air, scenic views
• Poor work/rest balance

This list is not referring to clinical depression that needs professional help or medication to adjust a brain’s chemical imbalance. Rather, this is the lower level sadness that sneaks up unexpectedly when you’re not paying attention to its cause. It’s the listless blues that taunt Christians with a self-condemning “oh, you of little faith!”

To be human is to experience a gamut of emotions, including those that may be damaging to our spirit as well as our body. My disposition affects my reception of God’s Word and how I follow his command of sharing his grace with others. With Holy Spirit power, Christ followers can avoid many causes of despondency by encouraging thankfulness.

Here are two gratitude producing prescriptions.

Joy Journal

A joy journal can be made from any size or type of notebook. The goal is to carry it with you to jot down things you see, do, or think of that make you smile. It could be a joke, colorful birds at your feeder, a child’s conversation, seeing an act of kindness, or noticing new beauty in your surroundings. The listings can be sketched or written with your choice of color. Make it enjoyable and easy to do. If you continue to do this for a month, it will become a habit of joy reminders to perk up your thoughts.

Prayers of Thanks

It’s embarrassing to admit that I most often remember to give thanks to the Lord only for food. I need to ask Jesus to remind me of all my blessings. His answer is the same one for all life’s questions and concerns: Look in my Word. Here are a few thanksgiving prayer examples. Your joy-producing assignment is to find many more.

Psalm 100:3-5 (NIV)

Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and bless His name.

For the Lord is good, and His loving devotion endures forever; His faithfulness continues to all generations.

Psalm 136:26 NIV

Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.

Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:57 NIV

Susan L. Fink is a blessed wife and mother of three children and two perfect granddaughters. Her background includes teaching various ages from preschool to adult and being a hospice volunteer manager. She lives in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, with her husband, Robert. See Susan’s website for her books and blog posts.

Tracy Crump dispenses hope in her award-winning book, Health, Healing, and Wholeness: Devotions of Hope in the Midst of Illness (CrossLink Publishing: 2021). A former intensive care nurse, she cared for her parents and her mother-in-law and understands both the burdens and joys of caregiving. Her devotions have been featured in Guideposts books, The Upper Room, and many other publications, and she has contributed 26 stories to Chicken Soup for the Soul® books. She also conducts writing workshops, produces a newsletter for writers, and does freelance editing. But her most important job is Grandma to five completely unspoiled grandchildren.