Compassion and the Family Caregiver

This is Michael Carbone with the Truth Network for partnering with Bible league international on open the floodgates Bibles for Africa in many parts of countries like Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania and Mozambique as many as 9/10 Christians were denied God's word by corrupt governments majority religions in poverty and remoteness five dollars and the Bible. $100 since $2500 sends 100 call 800 yes word that's 800-937-9673 thank you for caring on today's compassion radio. I have no qualifications to tell anybody how to be a better.

I couldn't speak out of my own experiences. But here's what I've learned that it helped with it. Caregivers don't live with anything on a cart level that is not common to all of humankind. Basic things that we deal with caregivers fear obligation guilt, resentment, despair, heartache, anger, all think those are all common to everyone we deal with those things that are often relentless, overpowering that we feel like just losing our footing to God cares about you. So says Peter in his first epistle chapter 5 verse seven. Seems simple doesn't it type employer here with compassion, radio, the daily Journal of what God's people are up to where they're doing it, and how God is making it all makes sense in the big picture. If there's any particular group of people quietly going about the Lord's work in unassuming ways in the world. It's got to be caregivers, but I don't mean people who have a lot of natural sympathy feeling warm fuzzies for others is great but it's not particularly useful with the heavy lifting of agape style love you know the kind of love that Christ himself demonstrated whether caring for those suffering from Coban long-term illness or mental decline of aging. There are millions right now. We take the lead in providing compassionate care for others, often with little or no training. Love is simply required our guest for the next two programs, knows a thing or two about it because he seen a thing or two.

He and his wife have been through the ringer for decades and, frankly, is to our benefit, even though that'll sound like a brutal assessment was you hear a story will to start out with this thought. Thank God for those willing to say yes to one of the hardest jobs could ever love today's compassion, radio, or what way back. A friend of Antarctica in a while, but man ministry needs. He's facing have not diminished in the least, especially during the age of coed Peter Rosenberger for standing with help welcome back to compassion radio very much is great to be back here with you would have been a long and I got some face time with you as I was going across Montana this month and see that God still preserving you and your ministry with your wife Gracie. You have her hands a whole bunch of things. But the thing that people know you most. For I guess in the United States now is for your growing radio ministry of her own called what the caregiver for the caregiver broadcast across a station on another network and we're glad you're doing the work you do tell you what it's like to be getting up early on a Saturday morning to listen to people call you seeking solace in looking for encouragement and hopefully to download a story or two and maybe laugh a bit along the way will I didn't set out to be in radio but I discovered that I have really come to cherish it and I do love it and I don't mind getting up early my time out here in Montana I don't get up late anyway. I get up early, as a caregiver, like 35 years and so I get up. That's actually like myself enough on a pro rata caregivers that we get up early and you know kind ofthe day and get meals planned in things such as that. As I talked to my fellow caregivers are structured. The show so that it's not me lecturing or saying here's how to be better caregiver because I have no qualifications to tell anybody how to be a better character. I can speak out of my own experiences if they here's what I have learned that it helped me when it hits.

But I think what brings me to you today grandma you have talked about this. Caregivers don't live with anything on a core level of the heart level that is not common to all of humankind. Let me explain this basic things that we deal with this caregivers fear obligation guilt, resentment, despair, heartache, anger, almost think those are all common to everyone we deal with those things praying to this caregiving journey that are often relentless. There often nuclear, they are often overpowering and we feel like we just losing our footing. So that's where I approach this caregiving after 35 years for my life. Please stop on the issue of caregiving right there because obviously the word caregivers in the mentioned number of times in this program, but it does have a specific realm that you were discussing, and that has to do with the long-term care that you have to offer to somebody who needs it physically, emotionally, medically, your situation is a pretty intense one. So just give us a quick breakdown of how you and Gracie have navigated the past 35 years. Well, good point, collectively, will house 111 caregiver caregiver somebody puts himself voluntarily between a vulnerable level and with chronic impairment and even worse disaster.

As the starting point. Good luck exhibit on the parent I'm taking care of children.

Well, it's apparent that your parent but that's not a caregiver.

Those children are expected to grow mature and become functional independent individuals, but that doesn't always happen when you're dealing with a caregiving situation you got somebody you as cognitive or physical developmental issues or impairments that have brought about trauma or disease, or things such as that by the knowledge of the only one that has any kind of national show deals with alcoholics and addicts because that's a chronic impairment. Even if you're sober or clean to begin with the reality of a chemical or alcohol dependency, and your loved ones around you will be dealing with that learning how to process what happened to you through that process and how you're working through recovery or not working. Recovery that the overarching thing I could do it with my situation. Gracie headache, traumatic car accident 38 years ago, back in 1983, and to date that I can count. She's had 80+ surgeries hundred and 50 smaller procedures both of her legs amputated over 100 doctors who treated her now 13 hospitals you're looking at well over now $11 million just keeps growing at a party to Track of. These are all ballpark numbers at this point. She lives with intractable pain. She did not know the date without pain. Since Reagan's first term and through this journey that one point what we are dealing with one pain management specialist. They took her into the world of narcotics and pain management step. She never abused it but sheep taken over seven figures of painkillers narcotics opiate and nobody ever said to me hey you will put a lot of behavior on your life body. You might want to get some help for yourself. Not one pharmacist that was Dr. not one nurse ever said this to me and so I'm saying it to my fellow caregivers. I'm bringing the lifetime of experience I've had to help on the path to safety to say okay here's the path to safety, and it cannot this thing where I like providing answers I don't know how to take care of your situation, you more than you not to care but what I can do is go back to okay what the Scripture say number one and how does that apply to us. This caregivers number two. So for example I had a lady to coating my show in Chico.

I guess God put me on this earth to be a caregiver.

Now shorter catechism, Westminster confession of faith is what the chief end of to glorify God and enjoy him forever. Thanks. Our highest purpose now or a lifetime for a season.

Decades of Mikey. We may be at caregiver but we have a greater purpose than just limiting ourselves to that journey. If we see that it's a game changer for us people to erroneous things like love, God never asked you to do more than you can handle you for that would be for the Scripture knows that he always asked you to do more than you can handle. He asked a man with a withered hand stretch as the blind man to see the dead man to come out of the great never gives us more than he can handle and there is a different theologically speaking and doctoring speak and functionally speaking it your face. You and I have talked with us before that faith is obviously a verb is not just a description of a thing that happened or an object or place in the past. Faith is the thing that gets you out abandoning your slippers and making coffee at 430 the morning or you're not able to meet the objectives you have that morning to do something like get to a doctor on time, or get a bath done or get a house clean. You exercise the faith that you will have what God will provide for you and more than just the grit of getting through the negatives and having to survive or endure human discoveries are all the stew that somehow in the midst of all of that torrent of responsibility and difficulty that there is real joy in there that God shows up and he's with you in this. There's a lot of people listen to our program right now with Peter that are at the same time a day's early morning were most people here this program they might be caregivers himself that are not because of that reason. So I do want you to be speaking as if you're part of family here. What is it like than for you to make that decision to say I can be competent and qualified to do this job because of Christ. And because the love he puts in me because of my commitment my covenant with my wife to be there till death parts us and still enjoy it.

Talk about that. Probably not a caregiver struggle with me going to go to put their life on hold until their level and get better or worse. And usually it's worth a guy will get on with her life.

They got with not only their life on hold it with joy on hold it with your business on hold and everything is on hold I go throw myself recklessly to the situation and I think now Gracie and I have been doing this after 35 years.

I can't put that much life on hold going anywhere. You have a special needs child, for example, give a child with autism or child with down syndrome you put your life on hold to adapt and be flexible yeah. But life is worth living Debbie out to put my humor on hold I don't have to put Julie on hold and this is the mistake it attracted a lot of caregivers fall into and we struggle with this and I think only the minute whole world is broken. Everything about this world is broken, we could extrapolate that we can't live in abundant victorious meaningful life of substance in the midst of a broken world like living things fixed.

That makes it in the light of everything that Scripture says and what Christ came here for. In the most recent of the chosen of what you really enjoyed it. It was episode two of the second season the character Jesus to come to talk about.

It's not of this world is not of this world in that world always being made right right but in this world yesterday have bones that break hearts that break and I'm paraphrasing the dialogue. But that's the gist of it. There are things in this world that are just heartrending.

We can be doing a whole series on the show about morning because I think it's important to learn how to mourn healthily going to mourn were going to week calling to laments yeah but we don't despair over three and that's where I'm looking for for my fellow caregivers. Is that okay can we do this in a healthier manner for ourselves and recognize that this is more worth. Jesus said blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. But I see too many caregivers who are reaching out or sinking into despair or combination thereof obviously would have done it myself. Been there, done that. I'm the Wiley Coyote. There is the real risk of self-righteousness in these things and justifying our anger and deciding that well say it or not, that God owes us something and we are right in her undignified rage will say of course we don't want to really deal with this feeling that he called out for me. The best antidote to that is to have a clear picture of my black heart.

Once you get a grasp of just how vile your sin is to God really works.

That whole self-righteousness argument for those who are dealing with that particular issue.

Yes I would say let God cracked her head a bit interacting super pious about something and being duplicitous about their attitudes. If you notice in Scripture God see Jesus saved all of his outreach for the high death because every bit of it and he has this tender heart the broken hearted is near to the brokenhearted and when you get in this well like some of God owes me or I deserve this rhyme entitled Marais don't need redemption as much is that God you know I thank the Lord that I'm not like that. There's nothing like hanging on to Christ while in the fetal position to drive that point, you know, because that's all you get it in until you understand that on a way that is life transforming that tendency to think more of yourself that you really ought yes we get frustrated we didn't get frustrated caregivers. We get angry we get resentful we get all these things. So what grounded back to reality and that is understanding the gospel in people who can help share the gospel in that caregiving context so that we can clearly see, here's the path back to face Peter Rosenberger will be back in a moment to share more about how the calling of the caregiver is both impossible and full of possibilities. If you are a caregiver. I hope that what you're hearing today encourages you in the work that you do. Peter is both a great mentor and a wonderful worship leader I've arranged to make his comforting piano perform a CD available to you for your support and compassion radio today, so don't hesitate to ask for when you call or give to the website in one way or another were all being called to care for others, and some really trying times by God's grace and sticking together we can get through it we might see some of God's best work in the process. Thank you for standing with compassion radio as we bring daily encouragement, inspiration and challenge to you each day we literally cannot come to you each day without your prayerful and generous support. If you find any value in what we do. We need to hear from you today. The easiest way is through our website and compassion radio.com you can also reach out to our toll-free order line 1-800-868-2478 if you call before or after Pacific time business hours just leave us a full message in your best callback number will return it as soon as possible. You can also mail us a compassion radio, PO Box 2770, Orange, CA 92859. Now I've heard their local post office has returned a number of listener letters recently and for reasons unknown and working on a solution to that particular annoyance. If this happened to you. Please let us know right away through our toll-free line email or contact page on a website and now back to my special discussion on caregiving with Peter Rosenberger.

Nothing like hanging on Christ while in the fetal position to drive that point, you know, because it in until you understand that the blade that is life transforming.

Think more of yourself that you really ought yes we get frustrated we can get frustrated caregivers.

We get angry we get resentful we get all these things. So what grounded back to reality and that is understanding the gospel in people who can help share the gospel in that caregiving context so that we can clearly see, here's the path back to face I want to make clear that were not making a statement that everybody starts in this position attitudes only. There are millions of caregivers out there that they've already learned from grace, how to overflow in be a spring of living water there tapped out quite a bit but they do trust and love Jesus with all their hearts, and they're not resentful and for those people I say I just want to sit your feet and be comforted by you because you've got it here in touch with the spirit of God here and I miss that so many times. So for those people that are just like anybody would be worn down from time to time, but they are not resentful and are grateful for the place and ministry that God has given them as a caregiver. How do you offer encouragement and back them up when they needed to go to the cycle is not wanted done.

Wanted done is teaching me how to give an injection for the first time I gave injection for Gracie. I missed that they had music school showed us how to give injections and I was quite nervous and a little bit queasy, but it know it can step now, it's no big deal. I'd have done it plenty of change very complex dressing rep had to get on up in support of learned how to deal with insurance to learn how to do with doctors but I don't have to have refresher courses on but I have to have refresher courses on matters of the heart. I have gospel amnesia. I've got to hear the gospel if I have gospel amnesia. How much more so Mike and I have caregiver image if I got here about the redemptive work of Christ on a regular basis.

How much more so am I going to have to learn how to still heart how to strengthen myself to the Lord as David didn't think like how much more in my going to have to learn how to do these things if I am forgetting about the redemptive work of Christ on any given day. This is the journey for all of us is caregivers do not approach this thing from not teaching people how to cure give, not from teaching people of the nuances of caregiving. Sometimes we swerve into that if the occasion represents but is no big deal where I spent 99.9% of the time is asking people how they're feeling and this is in this journey right now. Well, the first question asked: Michelle, how are you feeling vary from. Sometimes I feel grateful sometimes. I'm just worn out. I am perplexed and frustrated. I'm angry I'm resentful I'm despairing it's all over the map for us is caregivers and if you do this long enough you go through all of that and repeated and repeated and repeated, and if it is okay – the human condition is the way we all are on any given day, but were not with caregiving you don't really get a chance to cut a reset button quickly, so we were forced to deal with. I think a musical terms like you do the thing you keep coming back to is your refrain and the word itself course in standard English refers to the reticence to let something go or to let loose on something to hold back in music and is almost the opposite of me is coming back around to wholeheartedly the heart of the musical piece in worship we sing refrains and we come back to remind ourselves of the core message of the worship song is and we gladly sing that refrain often refrains are the highest emotional peak of a music piece so one of the refrains that you keep steering people back towards and in that.

Find the joy in the centeredness of the first one is that healthy caregivers make better caregivers. That is the main course that we thing regular everything I do. Understanding that it is not only okay but it is imperative for you to be healthy as a family character and that means healthy, financially healthy, emotionally healthy spiritually healthy physical, huge issue for a lot of caregivers is excessive weight gain. A lot of them do it and I don't want to shave them. I got there myself. I got so big I broke my family tree.

Having my picture it to dogs to bark at me till they call it comfort food for reason and distress tolerance to I imagine people. Stress actually makes it maintain that mass all and you reach for comfort and I get it. One of the things I see often is somebody was in a wheelchair being pushed by somebody who was morbidly obese and the greatest weight to carry is not the weight on their body weight in their heart and so the refrain I come back he was healthy. Caregivers make better caregivers want to drive that point home.

I will take a a him each week of my show and I'll do it, okay, tell me if you notice him and the reason I do that is because some of these hymns are so familiar. But if you think about the text of this human course. In the context of caregiving that maybe you remember that we did. He touched me the other day we'll go get it really touched me that most of the verse, but I know the course and so I want them to see only custody and all the joy that floods must build something happen. Now I know he touched and made me whole. That is implying a touching now not waiting until tests were registered in the heaven and earth are level is past awake right now and I want the best thing that I want to lose think and can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior's book, amazing love how can it be thou my God would start from that refrain of that song to God be the glory, great things he has done for love in the world. We get to the course. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, let the people rejoice and if we can understand the text. These refrains, which is a great point that you brought out what that means to then in those moments when our hearts are sinking. We can remember it is well is well with myself remember those little snippets afraid to give us just enough light enough when to be able to see the next step and say okay there may be more people to jump into this pool with you and offer advice and do a talk base program.

I think what a distinctives that you will always have with your particular ministries that you have a musicians heart and training so you just implied the need for worship. We worship on the program and by leading people through those beautiful hymns in your keyboard playing just to reset on the emotional level on all those other senses that need to be massaged as much as sore shoulders might need to be massaged.

You do that in your ministry and I'm thankful for that. And thank you have some music he produce over the years and I'm going to be encouraging our listeners that if you like what you're hearing from Peter's lips you like hearing more what comes from his 10 fingers and I'll be happy to go by a few those CDs and send to our listeners out there.

So just write us and compassion. Let us know you would like to hear Peter's music for worship and I'll get 20 features a wonderful worship CD that includes the song you're doing right now is available for your gift of compassion, radio to keep us on the air today. Just let us know.

We call or write us will have more from Peter oncoming programs so make sure to tune in. Then we really need each other. If are going to see victory over fear and all the other enemies to a real faithful living in this world.

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If you believe hearing good news from the front lines of faith billed to your faith and let us know today. Just call us at 1-800-868-2478 right is a compassion radio, PO Box 2770, Orange, CA 92859 four make a gift to our website, compassion, radio.com, we did your friend so contact us today will see you tomorrow on today's compassion radio when you're in anguish when you're in sorrow when you're in law, when sorrows like sea billows roll that is clear and clear agreement to RD I have. Waiting to minister to us. But we have to accept the fact that the heavenly it is so difficult for so many of us to do that. I know it is fix it like this, I got I got it. No I don't. I caught a great deal of card before I came to the port realized is I've got this was your first reaction relief annoyance encouragement envy seemed likely sometimes have a very hard time letting our heavenly father prior white knuckles off the thing were holding onto so hard trying to make things work out. My least equipped to handle it seems silly but is often true hi Graham Florida here with compassion, radio, the daily Journal of God's courageous and humble people who are learning to let go and let God. As the saying goes, Peter Rosenberger knows a bit about this and I'm understating that as a full-time caregiver for 35 years to his wife crazy. These experienced everything you can imagine on a daily basis just to provide the care she requires as a survivor of a near fatal car accident when she was just a teenager these days. Peter is bringing his towels as a caregiver and worship leader to a holy ministry that cares for the caregivers themselves.

It was weekly hope for the caregiver broadcast will start today's program right where we left off yesterday. I think what a distinctives that you will always have with your particular ministries that you have a musicians heart training so you just implied the need for worship you worship on the program and by leading people through those beautiful hymns in your keyboard playing just to reset on the emotional level on all those other senses that need to be massaged as much as sore shoulders might need to be massaged.

You do that in your ministry and I'm thankful for that. To your point. Martin Luther said next to the word of God music elevator so like nothing else.

When I played him to go back and on my CD for example: caregiver hymns very specifically addressing the core need of a caregiver, like the first hymn is there is a place of quiet rest near to the heart of God. A place where sin cannot Melinda. I can guarantee you there people listening this right now the city with unique who have felt like they have just been molested by actually physically have been. But so many people are living with the trauma of molestation is harsh language. They are right it is harsh language if it's a harsh world is a harsh visit. And what happened on the cross was a harsh remedy. And so that's where I want to drive people to understand just how magnificent the cross is so they could understand this in the context of the suffering that they have to watch.

We are sharing in the subject. When Jesus stood at the grave of blasters and he will groan with most commentators are saying that Jesus got angry.

He was angry at their he knew what he was about to do. He knew what was going to happen with this. He knew who he was angry at death. God hates that he ate so much that this is what he did to fix it.

That's the point I want to drive home that is, we are walking through this often very long valley of the shadow of death was somebody who suffers somebody was impaired, somebody who is treating us like garbage. What we were trying to wipe them and everything else. This is what the reality is for caregivers. I know people who are getting cussed out whether changing adult diapers.

This is the reality for so many, and I want them to understand that grieving Savior who understand he was acquainted with grief that merciful Savior who understand this in ways we can't possibly do that I love in the Chronicles of Narnia in the first when the lion witch and wardrobe. When Edman, who was a traitor was in danger. He was ranked and Lucy said to Ashley, who is the Christ figure.

Can anything be done to saving and as a nurse by the words so beautiful see if those were the yes all will be done, but it may be harder than you think and I think that we take for granted this magnificent that was done on the cross on our behalf. And it puts everything Gracie's trauma amputated limbs, Alzheimer's, down syndrome, autism, all that and look to the light of the glorious cross she did everything for caregivers to give the street for today is become understated and bright hope for tomorrow and dated.

Dozens a day by day thing is new mercies every morning to make sure we don't the people that think that because you get those things together that Gracie has suffered all his physical trauma and has Alzheimer's and has down syndrome anything else she doesn't have every melody not a man she's dealing with a visit if they recently fit in her heart she had to suffer quite a bit with me know if you have it, but I have a niece who 32 years old. She has the closing of your cognitive impairment.

She's like an 18 month old. She's a grown woman and 32 my brother take care for my father has Parkinson's. My mother is virtually blind, and my first cousin and especially daughter who is 16 and basically like it to a three-year-old noncommunicative and requires full care of everything I the list of whole families intersected but also just over the fact that you did with somebody in this world who will live with alcoholism. People right now listening this showrunner who have an alcoholic and there like they're watching these people spiral out of control or an attic spiraling out of control and they're throwing enormous amount of resources, physical and emotional and financial resources and helping these folks and it crushing. They don't know how to respond to it… I'm going to speak to that hope of the gospel in a way that caregivers can understand and in some respects our greatest mission. What a Jesus to go and make disciples. Well, it's very difficult to share the hope of the gospel to anyway educate people. Anyway pointed to safety. If they can understand why I speak fluent. And you do it with the kind of humility and humor that is almost offputting to those who think you have to be a certain mode to be a caregiver.

You do upset the apple cart a bit on purpose, and you get people really think about what it means to be human again, not just in the role as if that's the only identity to have as you said earlier the chief end of man and we all accept the surround Christendom, especially the West. This is it to glorify God and to enjoy him forever and to enjoy is supposed to be an experience is not just intellectual assent to his sovereignty is to say, would you be with me in this in the now right here. How do you restore yourself Peter, how do you and Gracie build memories and times are tender and are enjoyable so you have something to keep putting that pin the boards and we did this together.

Just yesterday I saw you guys made a quick run down to Yellowstone National Park because this really nears. We live in Montana now is that the kind of thing, and if it is what is you learn this time around when you're out there communing with God in nature. The better time for you to go because was it ground and so we had a lot of space there that we live in a place where we have a lot of space anyway.

Montana you know they been so so this is exactly 1889 in and even at the state motto now is y'all go back home.

We did several things. It is important we do them individually.

We do them together. Yesterday was one of those what we just kind of looked at the beauty of this world and try to leave his little mark on that beauty is possible and just appreciate it for what it was.

The other thing is that we do music together and that's important part of our life we have that I find those places of slowing down. The guy gave me a great piece of advice will be first live data you should drive it. The patient comfortable slid into the ditch and that's a great piece of advice or light good. I think were going to end up in a ditch. But if we could slow day on slow heart and realized later admitted it's really not all up to me you know my wife has a Savior I'm not that Savior and I tell myself and my fellow caregivers look at your hand if you will see male. This features a fix and so that for you to go and you know what I'm to go outside. I just got back from people we do this interview together in your behalf and pelvis back to the shape so I'll just get it but I was out walking, just enjoying the beautiful weather out here taking a moment just go outside and just clear my head. In the wintertime upping the horses on snowmobile and that the little sled with a limit the horses come running up beside me there is nothing like racing through a snow-covered pasture with horses taking up the snow everywhere to change your perspective on life. Get up there and go in the hot summers and soak my feet in the cool Street just be still. The other thing I did brand you would appreciate this turned off a lot of network television in the news because I think that the news in this world is designed specifically to keep us ramped up.

I had knee surgery last fall they had accepted on and when I was recuperating I watched 800 documentaries just a ton of everything from from Lewis to talk into Spurgeon Huston Luther and just all of the many different things as logic, what I felt Waterford instead of watching network television, which always feel stupid for doing but then I also stripped of these guys particular the reformers how anchored they were on the word of God. How totally they bake everything will being their emotional well-being. Everything on the word of God. It provided a place they can go to extend on what everything looks like it's all just on the part in how restorative that is to our souls and looked at me and maybe as I get older I appreciate the single bit more. I don't know. I spent a lifetime trying to solve a problem that was not Monticello and I learned that God owns this degree should have done my own share of collarbone heartache, but I didn't do this or Sheila Carrick before I ever met her. I do this to her. I can't undo it.

So what's my role in my role is its stewardship and to do the best I can with it.

In the process she deserves to have a healthier call and even a more joyful caregiver. It we've had extremely tender beautiful moments in the midst of Christ changing directly with a really ugly when you don't. She's had seizures she coated.

She's choked and all the things you know I'm there for her. In these moments, and then following these bonuses are so traumatic. We can just be still and she's had humiliating moments.

She's not able to do certain things and in those moments I just told her I said same Gracie and she's like praise the name of Jesus and these humiliating moments, those of restorative moments as well.

You know, and so this is our journey in this is a journey for some beanie millions of people around the world in your show is global and is common to everyone. Caregiving translated everything Grace Creek. If you love somebody you be a caregiver. You live long enough to get anyone. It's just that simple. And so here's the message that I have come to understand in my cassette I speak fluent caregiver, but the greater news greater next greatest is that it's our Savior's native tongue.

Indeed, I don't think that if God had a plan for this world in the face of death for us to do anything else but ignore it and hope for another life to come. We be totally wasting at the very existence.

He gave us. I do believe that there was something special.

I can only happen in this realm that will be possible in the room succumbed as good as heaven will be how much suffering can there really be where there's nothing but perfection and how much do we actually learn the heart of our Savior and how wonderful it is to connect with other people, especially our loved ones unless we had to face difficulty, and even pain or suffering with them. I do believe it is a beauty in that they cannot be experienced anywhere else. And so what you're exemplifying for a speeder is not subtle. We are need to be afraid of, and got the British never happened to me but God that we would be, as we see in Peter and Gracie when the time comes for us to be receiving or giving the kind of grace is necessary for us to draw close and not be pushed away that to be spiritually and socially distant rest of our existence. There is something about what you do. That draws you into the very heart of God. Peter Rosenberger will be back in a moment to share more about how the calling of the caregiver is both impossible and full of possibilities.

If you are caregiver. I hope that what you're hearing today encourages you and the work you do. Peter is both a great mentor and a wonderful worship leader I've arranged to make his comforting piano perform a CD available to you for your support of compassion, radio today, so don't hesitate to ask for when you call or give to the website in one way or another were all being called to care for others, and some really trying times by God's grace and sticking together we can get through it we might see some of God's best work in the process. Thank you for standing with compassion radio as we bring daily encouragement and inspiration and challenge to you each day we literally cannot come to you each day without your prayerful and generous support.

If you find any value in what we do. We need to hear from you today. The easiest way is through our website, compassion, radio.com you can also reach out to our toll-free order line 1-800-868-2478 if you call before or after Pacific time business hours just leave us a full message in your best call back number will return it as soon as possible. You can also mail us a compassion radio, PO Box 2770 Orange, CA 92859. Now I've heard their local post office as return a number of listener letters recently and for reasons unknown working on a solution to that particular annoyance. If this happened to you. Please let us know right away through our toll-free line email or contact page on a website and now back to my special discussion on caregiving with Peter Rosenberger. There is something about what you do Peter that draws you into the very heart of God. Your point, she obviously felt that way he condescended down to our suffering.

He took on all of this himself and was present with the wonderful audit and I would encourage all of you read this book is a good hard book your document greatly forwarding the totality it suffering in the heart of God by Dr. Diane Ling Burke and a lot of times we use the word they inappropriately elevated do this I would have to do this if they did, like somebody else's moral choices are like choices are in more need of redemption that are old and she said the only person who can say today is him. He became like there wouldn't be anything. He was there with us in our stress and is there now. That's the whole point when he sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in the church calendar distinctive Holy Spirit, what is Holy Spirit, the comforter, why would he send the Holy Spirit if we did need comfort and what is it about this that he was the model is the only part that he was willing to put this on himself and be with us in our misery in our heartache and share in it with take it all upon himself that the whole concept of understanding of the gospel and I think you're right at the good in the sanctification journey were all in this life. He uses suffering as a teaching tool.

I don't like it, but he did asked me my opinion. I don't know that anybody liked anybody tell you they do the kind of sick like about it is not healthy like, but we can respect it for what it is and appreciate the work of God in it because it looked take this away from me returning a gracious, efficiently and by weakness in his power is made perfect and there's a principle here to learn that even the greatest of all of his called individuals that we look at history. These great big heroes.

They all had to learn this principle, every one of there's not anybody I see in Scripture.

The did not have to struggle through this when he talks about God using suffering as a tool I've only careful because we don't have great language for this we say tool it seems hard and unforgiving, and very impersonal, as if he's just trying to get an outcome from us, rather than a relationship and as you described the Holy Spirit reminding us again that his name and his job is comforter if we don't accept comfort with don't ever accept our need for comfort them are missing out on getting to know who God is, because that is the personality of the Holy Spirit was purposely saying we don't want him if we think will ever need comfort or that the need for comfort is somehow an insult to us to our pride and we really gonna miss out on who God is because he is so ready. He exists to comfort those who hurt because he knows it exists and he knows it's real is not a figment of our imagination. Suffering is real, and he wants to be there with us in it. His desire is to be right there to be the caregiver.

I love your tapping into that very passionate pursuit of humanity that God's about the Holy Spirit is a caregiver and wants to be yours in Thornhill circuit.

I need him in many ways leaving us in this so we can emulate him. Well, when the time comes for us to do that job ourselves when asking ad for a speeder about the scope of what a caregiver is and how we need not fear if it or when it comes but how do we prepare for appropriately and how to respond to it. Well here's the deal caregiver into somebody who is provided enormous opportunities to see the human condition that repetitive nature of seeing the brokenness in the human condition that Christ came to say that we are afforded the opportunity then to trust him in this and in a way that we didn't expect one minister at Hartford.

All we need is neat at building when you bring to Christ is nothing but how many of us have nothing when you're in anguish when you're in sorrow when hearing loss when when sorrows like sea billows roll that is when we are driven to our knees to cry out to the Savior, who is eager and waiting to minister to us. But we have to accept the fact that we have a need and it is so difficult for so many of us to do that. I know it is for me. I'll fix it. I know I'm I do this I got I got I got it no and no I don't, I caused a great deal of carnage before I came to the port realize I can't do this and it takes sometimes those of us with a little thicker skulls and others to recognize that we are not up to this, but he is and there's a greater principle at work here, and if there's not some kind of sick perversion that we suffer more for Jesus, whatever were more noble now is just there is an understanding that God desires to meet us in our greatest need and often times, the only way we can see that is through this broken fallen world of suffering. Jesus said that it's difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, not because he's castigating people's wealth, God was to shower abundant wealth on more than we could possibly imagine. But the deeper point is, do we really understand our need before Christ and are we willing to subject everything to his caregivers.

We see that because were dealing with such sorrow in the outback question is, instead of letting that turn us into rageful or bitter or resentful people.

Are we willing to take a tiny leap of faith and trust that his guardian is holding our security at an early willing to do that we willing to seek his provision in this ways. It maybe couldn't otherwise and that the beauty and there's joint and there's tenderness and their meaning and substance not in the grotesque and the heartache, but in the growth of who you are as a person and I would say to you is, caregivers were never going to feel better about what our love. What endures difficult to feel better, but that's not the goal. Goal is to be better and it is my final that's perfect timing to be better. This two-part series, United just done is something is organically and plan to make specifically to programs out of this but it is a good point for us to break now and take a sailor arrests because it is like drinking from a fire hose to jump into these big streams and caregiving is a nonstop raising river for many, so I'm glad my friend that you have learned to navigate these waters and you can move your dinghy about the current well and help those who feel like a drowning or are drowning and not just block them up and give them false hope, but present them a Jesus who is all hope and for that reason, I am grateful that you and Gracie have had to suffer the way you had together so that the world is better because he's using you and you said yes. So I'm proud of you for that and I'm proud to God for choosing you in this, but I'm also with great fear and trembling, saying I'm glad that he gave us. You, but man, I'm so sorry. I still land that both of you had to go through as you had. I know of you Peter.

I can imagine any other way than being refined through fire into pure gold. At this point in your life or as your head would tell me pure platinum will view it would great here comes great responsibility enough to scare the horses out there you know I love we get to do probably ask you, what would you do it all over again. I don't do it hypothetical. I got enough problems with reality. But all that to say I love the way you play the piano. Now I love the way I write. I love the way I communicate a lovely see the beauty around me. I hate how I got here, but I'm grateful what I'm learning through this process and I'm grateful for the greater understanding of God's grace to grace so much a married woman named Grace and I I double dangled for the understanding of that that I have that I would not of had had we not gone through this I leave your listers with this one time somebody asked Bailey Crosby could probably the greatest hymn writer of all time survey of modern times and she was blind in her stories worthy of seeing and they assisted happy Christmas Jesus when he allegedly plunged easily your interstate the next space that I see the face of Jesus and that's an astonishing statement is worthy of our aspiring to that level of understanding of trusting God and experiencing God now so when you see him later. Recognizing you are building a deep reservoir of relationship and a true wealth and the people are coming to you on the Saturday morning program. I know are dipping their company that saying this is the purest well I drank from in my life. So thank you for ministering. Then, day by day, and for those who hearing this program.

We have Peter's music available I'd love to send one to us just let us know your compassion bring your interest in learning more about Peter and Gracie Rosenberger and their standing with help ministry and their fine music, just let us know any redness or contacts on the website today Peter Rosenberger. Thanks so much for spending this time. I know it's tough to get back into the loading putting out and speaking, especially as you need to do for this kind of medium but thank you for getting us the energy you have on top of your other responsibilities, primitive pleasure and every time I talk about anything I'm able to be strengthened myself do it. You need ideas around looking at him again freshly thank you very much for the privilege.

And thank you for all that you do around the world of this program.

Thanks yesterday on compassion radio today your surgeon faithful getting keep us on the air in the arena standing with you to help the kingdom keep growing in the 21st century. Curaçao just visit our website compassion radio.com or call our toll-free order line 1-800-868-2478. Our mailing address is compassion, radio, PO Box 2770, Orange, CA 92859. Remember none of this is possible without you.

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