Keeping a godly focus

Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. —1 John 2:6

How does transformation on the caregiving journey work in practice? What can we do in our daily routines to abide in Christ and allow God to change us, so that we “live as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6)? Here’s one useful way to remember some practical things you can do to give your caregiving a godly focus: the MARIE principle.

Magnify God. Practise the power of praise. Focus your tongue and thoughts on God’s goodness, who He is, and all that He has done. When we grumble, what we’re really saying is that God is not good and has given us a raw deal. When we magnify Him, we acknowledge His sovereign lordship and affirm that no matter what happens, we can trust in a good and loving heavenly Father.

Appreciate others. Learn to see the blessings poured out around you every day. Too often we choose to see the negative, but we can learn to see the positive and express appreciation to others. Ask God to open your eyes to His blessings.

Reinforce biblical truth. We need to make the Word of God the standard for our thinking and actions, and not our own personality, opinions, preferences, or comfort. This means learning to think, speak, walk, and care biblically. It means submitting our thinking, our will, and all we have to Him. And it may mean having to lay down what we imagine are our rights.

Intercept negativity. As a caregiver, it’s easy to slip into negative patterns and speech. We want to vent our frustration

and resentment. We want to hear others affirm our opinions and feelings, and say, “Yes, so-andso shouldn’t have done this to you.” But this can lead us into sin. There is a fine line between sharing important information— like how your mum refused to take her medicine—and details that serve only to inflame. We need to keep asking ourselves: What is my true motive for sharing this information? Evaluate motives. While all of us truly desire to be selfless in serving and caring for others, it is easy for our motives to become skewed in the process. If we are not careful, we can allow greed, self-service, martyrdom, selfprotection, and pride to slip into our hearts.

Gracious Father, please convict me if I am following any false motives or twisted thinking. Help me to see any form of greed, self-service, martyrdom, self-protection, or pride that exists in me. May your Holy Spirit shine the light of truth into my heart and reveal the attitudes that I’ve hidden from myself. I long for a renewed heart and a renewed spirit.

MARIE: Keeping your eyes on God

• Magnify God • Appreciate others • Reinforce biblical truth • Intercept negativity • Evaluate motives

A renewed heart and spirit cares for people with God’s heart and spirit.