A transformation of self Whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant. —Exodus 34:34–35
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ach time Moses went up Mount Sinai to meet God, he came away a changed man. His face shone so brightly that the Israelites could not even bear to see it, and he had to put on a veil. An encounter with God always leads to transformation.
It is the same with caregiving. If we see it not just as a task, but a divine encounter and journey, it will transform us in ways we could never have expected. We may feel uncertain about what might happen or is already happening, but if we hang in there and keep trusting God, we will see the transformation that He brings in our lives. Through the experience and process of caregiving, God gives us the opportunity to change as we journey with Him and witness what He reveals to us. 34
This journey may reveal much about ourselves too. What might we see? Will we be throwing tantrums in a clash of wills with those we love? Will we see ourselves as martyrs and bask in self-pity? Will we indulge a sense of entitlement and focus on what we think is “fair”? Or will we become judgmental of those we care for, and those we feel should be doing more to help us? These are all common struggles for caregivers. But God can use them to mature us spiritually as He transforms us into the people He meant us to be. As we learn to rely completely on His strength and surrender our will to His, we will develop new attitudes towards those we care for. We will start to see them as God sees them—people created in His image—and begin to love
