Keeping Love Alive as Memories FadeSample

Elohim

When my friend Eileen prays, both privately and aloud with others, she sometimes speaks to God using one of His many Old Testament names. Once, when I told her I had begun a new writing project, she offered to pray for me, saying she would be "calling upon Elohim to guide" me. She said this because writing is a creative endeavor, and God's "Creator" name is Elohim. This Hebrew name for God is used in Genesis 1:1, the first verse of the Bible: "In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth."

The opening chapter of Genesis also describes another of Elohim's amazing first creations: light. It mentions the sun, moon, and stars, citing the creation of physical light as the way to set day apart from night. After the book of Genesis, light is mentioned in many places throughout the Bible, but now physical light takes on additional meaning. In both the Old and New Testaments, light and darkness serve as a metaphor that helps us understand spiritual truths.

In the physical world, the color of an object comes from the way it reflects the light that falls on it. Under white light, colors are natural and vibrant. As filters are applied, objects reflect less and less light, making colors look darker than they really are. In the world of dementia caregiving, a similar thing can happen. Paul the Apostle said, "There's no room for play; there’s no room for joy...so much of the color has gone out of my life." For Paul, the daily grind of caring for his loved one has become a filter that casts a darkening shadow over his life.

Has caregiving faded the colors of your life?

If life seems steeped in hues of gray, let the eyes of your heart be drawn to Elohim, the majestic Creator of light. Let your inner gaze rest intently on Him until you can say with the psalmist, "My Elohim turns my darkness into light."