Reflecting Christ

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. — Colossians 3:17

Do you feel like you have failed to be a good caregiver? Perhaps the person under your charge complains that you aren’t meeting their needs sufficiently. Perhaps relatives and friends are critical about your “performance” as a caregiver. Perhaps they feel that you could do better in balancing your task of caregiving with competing priorities, such as being a parent, child, spouse, or employee. If y ou feel you have failed, take heart: God does not view caregiving the way others do. He does not assess your service based on how well you meet the needs of those you care for, or how efficiently you carry out your role and responsibilities. Rather, He is interested in only one thing: how well we reflect Christ. The

instruction in Colossians 3:17 to “do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” applies to caregiving as much as it does to other forms of Christian service.

Caregiving is a g lorious call to be conformed to the image of Christ. It offers us an opportunity to live out our commitment to care for others as Jesus did, to love those whom God has created, and to demonstrate the redemptive power of Christ. Through our actions, attitudes, and words, we will reflect how God ministers grace and mercy as we learn to be Jesus’ channel of compassion, redemption, and love. It will be hard, of course. To love as Christ loves, we will have to put aside our time, our job, our personal commitments, our friends, and even our own health. We will be asked to lay

down our expectations of fairness at the altar before crawling onto it ourselves, submitting to God’s desire to mould us into the character of His Son. And we will have to be willing—and prepared—to search our hearts and focus the light of God’s Word on ourselves, our speech, our actions, and our motives. So don’t let the world—or even yourself—judge your quality of caregiving by the level of service you provide. Instead, focus your heart, your actions, your words, and your thoughts on being like Christ. That’s all God sees.

Father, teach me to see beyond this task of simply giving care, and understand that You have called me on a journey into Your very own heart. Teach me to see people through Your eyes, to care for them with Your hands, and to love them with Your heart. For You love every one of us—me, the person I’m caring for, and all those around me. Show me how to be a channel of Your compassion and Your grace.