What We Say To Ourselves Matter

Family caregivers spend a lot of time talking to ourselves, replaying decisions, anticipating the next crisis, and wondering how much longer we can keep going. After forty years of caring for my wife, Gracie, I know how exhausting that conversation can become. In this episode of Hope for the Caregiver, I explore what we say to ourselves when the pain persists and circumstances refuse to settle down. A husband caring for his wife with Alzheimer’s offers a powerful example: exhausted by her repeated questions, he quietly reminds himself, “He’s got this. Go ahead and answer her question.” His response opens a conversation about caregiver stress, patience, and the peace Christ offers amid ongoing trouble. Drawing from the Psalms and my own struggles, I share how Scripture gives us words to speak to our troubled hearts. Gracie closes the program with “Covenant Lament,” a song I wrote following the Covenant School shooting in Nashville (where we attended church for many years when we lived in Nashville), for those moments when we need to borrow someone else’s words until we can find our own. If this episode helps you, share it with a caregiver who could use some encouragement today. And if you’d like these conversations delivered to your inbox, subscribe to Hope for the Caregiver.