Caregivers

Loving God by Loving Others

Description

“Caregivers serve God by serving others. They often claim to see Christ in the poor and needy, and their faith is built up by interacting with other people. Such Christians may consider the devotional lives of contemplatives and enthusiasts to be selfish. …caring for others…recharges a caregiver's batteries.”

(27, from Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas)

Cautions

“Caregiving as a temperament means we express our love to God by reaching out to others; it's the picture of a heart overflowing with love and spilling out onto those around us. Caregiving as a disease is actually an act of taking; it's an act of deception, loving others so that they will love or need us in return.”

(147)

“Activists and caregivers may have more in common than you might think… both can work together – one to help solve the underlying problem, the other to give comfort until the problem is addressed.”

(147)

Suggested Activities

  • •"Adopt" someone – a prisoner, neighborhood child or elderly person; open your home to students or neighborhood kids
  • •Help a friend through a crisis; counsel at a crisis pregnancy center
  • •Work in the inner city, e.g. Mission Year (Bart Campolo)
  • •Help someone battling substance abuse
  • •Volunteer on a rescue squad; work in a soup kitchen
Caregiving

Scriptures to Reflect On

Matthew 25:35–40

35For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,

36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

37Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?

38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?

39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

40The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'

NIV — New International Version

Study Questions

  1. What acts does Jesus count as serving him?

    • –Feeding the hungry and giving water to the thirsty (v. 35)
    • –Welcoming strangers and clothing the naked (v. 35–36)
    • –Caring for the sick and visiting those in prison (v. 36)

  2. Why were the righteous surprised?

    • –They had not recognized Jesus in those they served (v. 37–39)
    • –Their service felt ordinary to them, not like worship

  3. What does "the least of these" reveal about God's heart?

    • –God identifies personally with those who are marginalized, suffering, or forgotten
    • –Service to them is service to God himself

  4. How does this passage challenge the way you see everyday acts of service?

    • –Ordinary compassion carries eternal weight
    • –Loving God and loving others cannot be fully separated

Takeaway: For the caregiver, loving others is not separate from loving God — it is one of their primary ways of encountering him. When they serve the hungry, the sick, and the lonely, they are not merely doing good deeds; they are meeting Jesus himself in those they care for.

Reflection Questions

  1. 1.What are some of the ways in which you have served others? What motivated you to help them?
  2. 2.What "return" (positive or negative) do you receive when you help others? These can be spiritual, emotional, etc.
  3. 3.How do you feel about people who are not actively ministering to the poor, sick, etc.?
  4. 4.Do you ever minister to others out of your own need? Or because you feel you have to? Or don't know how to say, "No"? Contrast that with a time when you freely helped someone out of a genuine desire to serve.
  5. 5.Think about your relationships. Do you have relationships with people who do not "need" you? If not, how might you begin to develop friendships outside your circle of ministry?

Well Known Caregivers

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa

Missionary & founder of Missionaries of Charity

Henri Nouwen

Henri Nouwen

Dutch Catholic priest, professor & spiritual writer

Mordecai

Mordecai

Biblical figure, guardian & advocate of Esther

Resources

  • Mother Teresa, Becky Benenate, Joseph Durepos. No Greater Love. (2003). Group West. ISBN: 1577312015
  • Nouwen, Henri J. M. Can You Drink the Cup? (1996). Ave Maria Press. ISBN: 0877935815
  • Sjogren, Steve (1993). Conspiracy of Kindness. Ann Arbor: Servant.
  • Wuthnow, Robert (1991). Acts of Compassion. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Sources