A Prayer for Strength for a Caregiver

Father, I am pouring myself out for someone I love, and the well is running dry. There are medications to track and worries to swallow and a body to lift that is heavier than mine, and no one is doing the same for me.

I confess there are moments I feel resentful, and then guilty for the resentment, and tired underneath all of it. I have forgotten what it is to be cared for instead of caring.

So I bring my own emptiness to You, the One who carries the burdens of those who carry others. Refill what this love keeps draining out of me. Tend the caregiver who has no one tending them.

Give me strength for the lifting and patience for the long hours. Steady my temper when I am stretched thin. Remind me that this hidden, daily faithfulness is seen by You even when no one else notices.

You promised to carry me close to Your heart, the way a shepherd gently leads those who have young. Let me feel myself carried while I carry.

I cannot do this on my own strength, so I will do it on Yours, one quiet act of love at a time. Amen.