Because Jeremiah is commonly considered the author of Lamentations, many of us tend to think of him as rather glum and gloomy. But he has also written many encouraging and comforting Bible verses, including this one that I thought would bless us all for Memorial Day:

I will turn their mourning into gladness. I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. Jeremiah 31:13

Definitely NOT gloomy!! And along with these comforting words, I wanted to share one of the old Christian hymns that may not be very familiar, but has some lovely lyrics that are definitely appropriate for Memorial Day devotions, God of Our Fathers, Whose Almighty Hand. And, in honor of my beloved father, who was so proud of his military service – and of whom we were all so proud, I chose the music version sung by a group he thoroughly enjoyed, Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians, from the album Most Popular Encores.

Being in the Sandwich Generation, caring for elderly parents and babysitting grandchildren, we are very likely to have a special heart for Memorial Day and Veterans Day, since so many of us have special family memories of loved ones who have served, and perhaps died in the course of that service. And that can mean our elderly parents, our peers, or even our kids and grandkids and their friends! I know that's true for me! Whether you are remembering old or young members of the military – or both, I pray for you, for all of us – God's comfort, encouragement, love, and peace that passes all understanding. 

P.S. If you are dealing with grief and loss issues as you remember beloveds who have gone ahead, I highly recommend two books full of encouraging and comforting Bible verses, words, and devotions for all of us – from young to seniors – to lift your spirits – When Hurt Runs Deep by Kay Arthur and 90 Days of God's Goodness by Randy Alcorn.

Kaye

My grandkids and I are well into Autumn and Awanas so this week we’ve been busy memorizing “The Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world” and “Great is our Lord and mighty in power,” among other verses.

We’ve also continued reviewing our Fruit of the Spirit songs and verses during the occasional bath times I participate in. That is such a great time to sing verse songs about the Lord combined with plenty of laughter, hugs, and joy!

They got to spend the night last night so this morning we were busy having our shower and song-fest. As I sang to them and with them, I was amazed at how God used their little verses to encourage me and lift my spirits over some of the Sandwich Generation issues I’ve been grappling with!

It has always been a blessing through the years as I taught God’s love and Word, first to my kids and now to my grandkids. He has so richly blessed me with the fruit I see in each of their lives. I love how He also uses my teaching of His Word to nourish and strengthen me as well!

This truly is a gift that keeps on giving – even into the Sandwich Generation and Senior years.

How about you? What ways does God use you to teach your grandkids and yourself? We’d love you to share them!

Don’t you find that, as a Sandwich Generation senior home care giver and grandparent, you generally find it easy to obey Paul’s charge in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “pray without ceasing,” since there are so many needs to pray for? Do you ever find yourself so stressed, worried, upset, frazzled, drained, or just plain exhausted that you can’t find the words to pray, but you NEED to pray? I’ve been there many a time. Illness, emotions, death… And those are just some of the reasons. I do have a great solution for that, though, and it’s easy. I pray Scripture.

I often carry a list of favorite verses in my purse as well as having a Bible tucked into my car. I even have the whole Bible in my cell phone along with an audio version (including the great free one from Christian Audio this month) in my mp3 player. That makes it easy for me, no matter what my situation, to latch on to a favorite verse or five and pray them to God over whatever my heart is troubled by.

Many of my favorite passages are in the Psalms and most of my Bibles have several comforting passages underlined, and sometimes even re-underlined! Using Psalm 91 as an example, I would pray something like:

Father God, Thank You that You have led me to dwell in Your shelter. Help me to always abide in Your shadow, Lord, no matter what the trial. Oh Lord, thank You that You are, indeed, my refuge and my fortress, My God in Whom I trust! Please deliver me from the snare of fear and please deliver my loved ones and myself from the deadly pestilence. Please cover us with your pinions and help us each to seek refuge under Your wings. Thank You that Your faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. I rest in You, my precious Savior.

Please deliver me from the terror by night and the illness that stalks in darkness. Thank You for leading me to make You, Lord, my refuge and that You, the most High, are my dwelling place. Thank You that You are with me in trouble. I rest secure in You!

I don’t try to use every verse. I just scan through and use the ones that fill my heart with prayer or praise for my particular situation.

I have found that God uses this to calm me and focus me on Him, at least for a bit. Sometimes I’m afraid that I’ve been in such a dark valley, it’s definitely hard to even do this. Those are the times when all I can do is grab one verse and say it over and over and over. Even that has proven to be a blessing and a help.

Truly, I have seen Him walk by my side even closer as I walked “through the valley of the shadow of death.” I pray you, too, will find this to be a comfort and an encouragement in difficult times.

Have you ever heard the song, The Gift Goes On? I thought of it today while enjoying another intriguing study on the Book of Revelation being taught by Stephen Davey of Colonial Baptist Church. I was especially touched by the story he told at the end of the sermon entitled George Street. He related what he had heard on a YouTube video and it was so good, I had to go dig up the video so you could see it yourselves.

This video definitely makes for an interesting and thought-provoking Sunday devotional! And it’s perfect for SandwichINK as it centers on the ministry of a senior citizen who eventually had to deal with Parkinson’s Disease, and how his ministry continues on today, even though he has gone on ahead of us to heaven. It’s a little bit long, 7 minutes, and on my laptop it paused a few times to “catch up.” But it is so worth it and the end is especially touching. It brought tears of joy to my eyes to hear what God had done through him! Enjoy! And do let us know what you think of it.