From behind and from before You shut me up, and You put Your hand on me (Psalm 139:5)
The term "sandwich generation" is often used to describe people who are "stressed" between the demands of the needs of children and the responsibility of caring for aging parents. This is not a new dilemma, but it can become even more complicated when relatives live far apart, the mother has to work, or when the stressed person still has to be a single parent.
About eight years ago, my mother-in-law needed full-time care. Meanwhile, our youngest daughter is growing up. Thankfully, two Bible verses helped us through the difficult times of being parents of teenagers as well as being children who must repay parents.
The first is 1 Timothy 5:4, "But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should first learn to serve their own family and repay their parents and grandmothers, for this is pleasing to God." There are indeed many ways to do this, but God's commandment is clear: we must take care of our parents.
The second is from Psalm 139:5,6. These words of David really helped us to realize that even though we were confined by various stressful situations, actually God's providence was always around us: "From behind and from in front you locked me up, and you put your hands on me. Knowledge is too wonderful for me. That."
So, if you're feeling "stressed out" today, know that God is closer to you than even the most stressful difficult situations -DCM
FAITH PLACES GOD BETWEEN US AND DIFFICULT SITUATIONS
* Take from Daily Reflections