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Eczema Devotional

Mom E-votional : Reset Button

Eczema Devotional Reset and Think through Quality of Life

In life, there are certain moments when we Reset. For me, these are times when my daily routine is different, for instance, taking a long-haul flight where your morning and evening swap. Or being down with flu and having to rest at home. Typically, for these down times, I ask myself these few questions:

  1. Is all that I’m doing (the busyness, even fully justifiable and worthwhile activities) RIGHT?
  2. Do I need to change, add, reduce, refocus what I’ve been doing?
  3. Am I loving God, my family and my friends enough?
Taking care of an eczema child makes these questions even trickier. For one, we may be spending disproportionately amount of time doing any or all of the following:
  1. Monitoring + Saying + Shouting Stop Scratching
  2. Moisturizing
  3. Caring for Eczema Flare-ups

These are certainly things we have to do, but I think it’s not so much of the time and work involved but also the stress it creates. It may also prevent parents from evaluating their own life, their parenting and how they want family time to be different. Sadly, after spending so much time on skincare of eczema child + the stress that comes with it, parents are hardly in a ‘sane’ state of mind to reset. I pray that all parents get our down time and ‘me’ time to steer our life in the right direction.

Bible verse:

Psalm 25:5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long

God, every day our life as parent is very busy. Caring for eczema child comes with stress and lack of sleep. Help us to quieten our mind and lead us to grow and thrive in our life on earth.

Seek the Lord in our Resetting

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Eczema Devotional

Mom E-votional : Blind Hope

mans-wayEvery parent hope for the best for their child; off the top of my head, I can think of hoping for

1. Growing well physically – Sometimes we take eating, crawling/walking/running and sleeping for granted!

2. Joyful child – Well-adjusted, being capable of loving and be loved

3. Education – for those of us in Singapore, (in fact many developed nations), getting the child to a higher-ranked grade school, high school and college

4. Career, marriage and happy life

Not all matters can be fully controlled by parents, we can only try our best and hope. Many of these ‘hope’ have a tangible feel, for instance, parents learn about nutrition, provide support for emotional development and do all that we can to volunteer for primary school. Sadly, for some parents, the hope of better beautiful skin for their children can feel like grasping at straws as whatever they do, the skin continues to be red and inflamed. It may even feel like hoping in blindness, not knowing what we can do differently, and hoping that our child’s skin will improve or placing hope in a miracle cure that we do not know.

Fortunately, in Jesus, our hope is never blind. The bible has been ‘tried and tested’ and proven correct. Jesus himself had appeared (resurrected) and showed himself tangible by even asking Thomas to place his hand on Jesus’ body. God is real and Christianity is not blind faith. I pray that eczema families have hope daily for better skin, better sleep, better quality of life and also that we place our hope in God.

Bible verse:

John 20:24-29: Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

God, thank you for giving us Jesus and the bible. Our faith is based on solid rock. Help eczema families to always have hope for better quality of life, with improving eczema.

Hope in Jesus is not Blind

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Eczema Devotional

Mom E-votional : Making Do

Christian devotional for eczema familyRecently, we had a road trip to Malaysia with 2 other families with young children – if there’s anything we learn, it is making do. Out of 2 cars, 1 broke down; out of 6 adults, 2 had food poisoning; out of 5 children, 4 had various health problems. We improvise, accommodate as we go along and make do with what we have.

It reminded me of parenting an eczema child. A lot of time we have to make do – given that we have less sleep, more skin issues to manage and most times, little time to rest. Sometimes I feel like if I’m ‘losing out’ on time, luxury, rest, ambitions, life?! But I always remember that there is no ‘making do’ in the kingdom of God, God is able to redeem our lives, give us more than our hearts desire and even a child to Sarah at 90 years old.

Bible verse:

Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen

Dear God, we may have to make do, sacrifice, forgo things that we would like to have. But nothing is in vain to You and You will bless us abundantly in ways we never expect!

With God, there is no need to Make Do.

 

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Eczema Devotional

Mom E-votional : Parenting Help!

Family devotional parentingParenting is not easy. For one, parents are not perfect super-humans. We feel drained, tired, cranky (not only kids ‘crank’!) and sometimes, ridden with guilt, doubt and worry. As a parent of an eczema child, I can think of MANY scenarios where I simply decide to slip up in my parenting. Forget about imposing boundaries and just let my child do whatever she wants, as long as it’s not scratching. I’m tempted to turn on that TV, toss that iPad over and just chill.

One source of comfort is that our father God in heaven models for us parenting and understands the struggles. After, we are sometimes the most whiny (think the Israelites in the desert), ungrateful (think of the many generations under Judges) and sometimes, outright don’t love Him. While we are on earth, parenting will never be perfect but we know that we are not alone in this journey, hang onto God and your spouse!

Bible verse:

Matthew 18:12-14 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?  And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

Father in heaven, please make up where our parenting lacks. Please be our father and help us be faithful children and raise our children likewise. Extra strength to those of us with eczema children, it’s tough, Lord!

God will never let go of His children, that’s parents and your kids!

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Eczema Devotional

Mom E-votional : Resist

Eczema Devotional Resist Scratching

Recently, I thought my child the word “RESIST’. I think we could be talking about ice-cream or chocolate milkshake or marshmallow (something sweet I’m sure!) and I suddenly ask, ‘Can you resist?’ We then started exploring ways to understand this word and it was quite confusing when you try explaining ‘Can Resist’ = ‘Can Don’t Have it’ versus “Cannot Resist’=‘Must Have!’. It then occurred to me to ask myself if there’s anything I cannot resist in life, am I being tempted by anything? (I’m just going to let this question ‘hang’, cos there’s no way I’m telling it to you, on the world wide web!’)

As I’m not the one with eczema, I don’t know if there’s a point when scratching becomes one of these ‘Can’t Resist’ things in life. A blog post that I wrote 3 years ago (that’s how long I’ve been keeping on at this blog!) is titled ‘Scratching feels so good, but is so bad.’ Scratching may feel good because it temporarily blocks off pain information, thus getting rid of the itch feeling. The exact mechanism between how itch and pain (from scratching) gets processed from our brain is not entirely clear. When we think about it, scratching is like say ice-cream, it may feel good for that moment but really is bad for our body.

Bible verse:

1 Corinthians 10:13 : No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Oh Lord, help me guard my heart (and also my mouth, my actions) against temptations. There are things we can’t resist in life. Help our children also to resist doing things they should not (scratching, tantrums and pride). Help us to be patient, loving, kind and exercise self-control in our parenting. Extra help for us with eczema kids!

God help us to resist the ‘bad’ and grace for more of ‘good’

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Eczema Devotional

Mom E-votional : Cool Summer

Eczema Devotional Thirst Summer

Anything with ice that is cooling.

During these few hotter months (or for those of you in US, UK etc, summer months), I crave for something cool and refreshing. That’s why I recently bought a blender that can do wonders in breaking down ice and devoted a few evenings to finding the right amount of ice cubes versus liquid to blend. My daughter likes it too! If she is scratching due to heat/sweat, I’d tempt her to stop with a ‘Chocochino’, my version of Milo crushed ice.

It occurred to me that sometimes in our life, we just need that something cool and refreshing, from the toil and the sweat. I then wonder what would be the ‘cool’ thing for parents with eczema kids to have? Would it be

a. An evening of couple night made possible by someone (anyone!) willing to care after a scratching child

b. A family day outdoors on a cloudy day, but no rain

c. Just one night of sleep

d. Share in the comment your ‘cool’ thing!

In the bible, Jesus talked about him quenching our thirst. It is in parallel to when God provided Israel with manna from heaven and water from rock. This hit me on two levels 1) God cares about our most basic needs, surely he care about whether our children are growing well 2) God knows what we need. So the next time I reach for a drink to quench that thirst, it serves as a reminder that God is all knowing on what I need and He will meet that need. Jesus offers himself for us!

Bible verse:

John 6: 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Dear God, you know what we need, what our children need, You know what we thirst for, it’s nothing luxurious for many parents with eczema children. Perhaps a good night’s sleep or a day of family fun without eczema flare-ups. Hear our prayer God!

Jesus meets our needs.

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Eczema Devotional

Mom E-votional : No Sleep, Brain Dead

Eczema_devotional_sleep

Yet another study came out few months ago on the damage done to our brain from sleep deprivation. The test mice were limited to 4-5 hours of sleep over a 24-hour time period and in just 3 days, there’s a loss of neurons in a particular part of brain. Sleep deprivation has also been linked to metabolism, inflammatory diseases, Alzheimer’s and dementia.

When I read the report, my first thought was 4-5 hours of uninterrupted sleep is a luxury! Though my child’s eczema had improved and remained mild, uninterrupted sleep at night is still very rare as by some mysterious unknown reason, her head gets itchy at bedtime. Add in the other days when she’s down with flu or fever, or her skin has some rash, and interrupted sleep is a given. Sleep and rest is essential to humans – God designed it that way. The 7th day of creation is a day of rest, as a reminder we need to rest. The daily work of creation has a morning, evening also signaling rest at the end of a day’s work. I do pray simply we all have enough sleep!

Bible verse:

Psalm 127:2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep.

Dear God, help all eczema families to have enough sleep. We need it and our growing children need it. I also pray that we can trust You, instead of trying to labor through the night to do more work.

 Keep a Day’s Work to the Day

Photo Credit: exfordy via Compfight cc

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Eczema Devotional

Mom E-votional : Wear the Load Right

Eczema_devotional_loadChildren’s backpacks seem to be getting heavier, as the amount of school work increases in a day. A too heavy load or a backpack that is worn incorrectly can cause back pain for our children. This is worsened by increased inactivity as children (and us adults) sit more, and usually with a less than ideal posture. The backpack should not be more than 10% to 15% of the child’s weight.

What happens when a load is too heavy? A child has to COMPENSATE by bending forward or arching which compresses the spine unnaturally. This reminds me of when parents carry too heavy a load – a ‘backpack’ of responsibilities such as childcare, chores, meals, schoolwork, work and caring for aged parents. Something may give way to such a heavy load, be it health, spiritual growth or relationships. Like dealing with a heavy backpack, we can lighten the load and adopt a more sustainable model to manage our responsibilities.

Bible verse:

Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Dear God, I pray for all parents to have a load that we can bear, and a support system to bear the load together. I pray for rest for those of us who need it, and to find that rest in You.

Wear the Right Load, Right.

Photo Credit: A. Galassi via Compfight cc

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Eczema Devotional

Mom E-votional : Not Good Enough?

Eczema devotional More BetterThink with me, ‘my child’s skin is not good enough’, ‘the moisturizer is not good enough’; sometimes we start thinking ‘my career is not good enough’, ‘my ___________ is not good enough’. Some Not-Good-Enoughs are ‘good’ to improve, while others can easily lead to a joy-sapping way of life. For eczema, I do think the occasional use of prescription cream, daily use of moisturizer, some decent (though interrupted) sleep is good enough. In life, the benchmark varies widely for everyone.

Sometimes as a Christian, I do guard myself when I start to think that God is not Good Enough. Hush.. how can you say that? God is God! I do think that this is very possible, although taboo to say it out right. It is a very real challenge, in daily living, in our performance-driven, results-oriented, materialistic society to remind ourselves and actually believe and live by the notion that God is good enough for me. He is sufficient, He meets my needs, He is what I want.

Bible verse:

Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Dear God, I pray that I will have the wisdom not to go after things in life that I don’t need. I pray that we will all find contentment and gratitude in life, despite living with eczema. I pray that we will find You to be enough.

God is Enough

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Eczema Devotional

Mom E-votional : Vacation

Green Pastures Eczema Devotional

 

Eczema is always a consideration in vacations – where to go (too hot, eczema flare-up? too cold, skin dry up?), what to bring (moisturizer, prescription, antihistamine, antiseptic) and keeping fingers crossed that there will not be an eczema flare-up during vacation. Good thing is many people seem to report better skin on holiday – this could be due to less stress during a holiday break, particularly for adults whose eczema is triggered by stress. For some families, their child’s eczema may be so severe that caring for the skin daily is already a struggle and holiday is not on the cards.

I do think that for parents who are caring for the child, a break is critical to re-charge our battery – even if the break is as short as half an hour of solitude. Jesus often withdrew himself to pray; likewise, I’m reminded that as a Christian parent, my ‘rest’ can be found during prayer time. Let us parents find rest in a day so that we will not be irritable, angry or resentful easily, but rested, peaceful and loving.

Bible verse:

Psalm 23:2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

Dear God, I pray for rest for all eczema families, in particular the parents. A quiet time, a coffee break, a weekend getaway or a holiday. Most of all, that we all learn to enjoy the rest in You.

Rest to Re-Charge

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Eczema Devotional

Mom-E-votional : New Every Morning

Promises New Every Morning Eczema Devotional

In my morning jog, I see the sun rise against the lake and I always felt in awe of how sunrise gets the day off to a fresh start. It is almost like on cue – birds come alive and start chirping, even the greenery in the park seems to take on a greener shade! I remembered when I was caring for my child’s eczema – each day is a new day, a day where it may just be possible that her skin would get better.

It’s like the song ‘As We Gather’ with the lyrics below. We can be comforted and blessed that God’s love is steadfast and his mercies have no end. Each day is a new start with fresh hope. I do pray that all of us, including myself, we ‘get’ the nature of God and experience His love.

Bible verse:

Lamentations 3:22-23 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Lyrics of As We Gather, by Mike Faye & Tom Coomes

As we gather my Your Spirit work within us

As we gather may we glorify Your Name

Knowing well that as our hearts begin to worship

We’ll be blessed because we came

We’ll be blessed because we came

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases

His mercies never come to an end

They are new every morning, new every morning

Great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord

Great is Thy faithfulness

Steadfast Love from God and mercies are new every morning

Photo Credit: Hamed Saber via Compfight cc

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Eczema Devotional

Mom-E-votional : In Sickness and in Health

Eczema Devotional In Sickness and in Health

 

It is easy to make a vow but hard to keep it. Chronic diseases are on the rise, not just eczema or allergic conditions in kids, but chronic conditions like heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Caring for someone, young or elderly, who always have a health condition is not easy. Being with someone who can’t walk, needs constant care and help with daily activity can be draining. In marriage vow, it is made ‘in sickness and in health’; in the bible, it is stated ‘honor your father and mother’. These are easy to do in good days and difficult in trying times.

Jesus cares for the people who are sick and dying.

In John 11, Jesus wept during the mourning of Lazarus’ death. Jesus did not weep because Lazarus was dead, as He later revived him. However, it is interpreted as Jesus wept because He was moved by compassion, by the mourning of Mary, Martha and others. Suffering and trials are present in our fallen world, and not expected to be easy, Christian or non-Christian. However, being a believer meant that our journey on earth is not alone.

Bible verse:

Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

Dear God, I pray for strength for those of us who are caring for family members who have health conditions. I pray that your compassion and love will touch and sustain us.

The God who cares is Here.

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Eczema Devotional

Mom-E-votional : Waiting

Eczema Devotional Waiting

It occurred to me that our life has lots of waiting moments in a day – waiting for train, waiting for doctor’s appointment, waiting for restaurant service. I suppose most of these waitings have an end – the train will come, our number will be called and our food will be served. However, waiting for our child’s eczema to have an end can be difficult. I’m blessed that my daughter’s eczema improved markedly after an oral steroid course and within subsequent next few appointments. I know of many more families who continue to struggle with controlling the eczema, despite making their best efforts.

There is much waiting in a Christian’s journey too. I do wait for prayers to be answered which sometimes can be frustrating and perplexing. There is however a waiting that is joyous, seeing my God, Jesus in heaven. I don’t know what heaven is going to be like – but I imagine it to be a place of joy without struggles and tension. More importantly, it will be pure bliss to be so close to Jesus.

Bible verse:

Psalm 39:7 “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.

Dear God, I thank You that You provided heaven for us. While I’m waiting here on earth, help me to wait in joy and to love You and others. Help our children with eczema to recover and not be waiting in vain for better skin.

Our wait on earth leads to eternity in heaven.

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Eczema Devotional

Mom-E-votional : Closer

Eczema Devotional Growing Coser

When my daughter was ill, I had to take a day off to take care of her. It’s quite distressing really, that for a child with eczema having fever or any other illness, seems to trigger more scratching. I did the basic taking care – meals, shower, medicine, moisturizing and then playing with her like jig saw puzzle, painting and balloon. For most of the time I’m thinking to myself that I wouldn’t make it as a homeschooling mom, or stay-at-home mom, I’d be very tempted to entertain my child with TV so that I can work on my own projects.

It then dawned on me that I might have stopped trying to get closer to my child on some level, why else would I not want to spend time with her?

It is the same as my relationship with God – I was confronted by my sisters in Christ that in the midst of my doing, whether I was loving God. Frankly, loving is not easy – doing is much easier, more execution-able in my systematic mind. Yet to do things for someone without growing closer to that person doesn’t seem to make much sense. Jesus’ commandment is clear – to love God and to love others. Not to do things, after all that’s hardly his modus-operandi – salvation is given to us, not something we need to earn/work for.

I do pray that in the course of doing things (which I surely have to do cos being idle is just not me!), God will be merciful and be close to me just from me wanting to be close to Him (even if I don’t know how!). Same thing with my family, in the midst of caring for child and household, it is easy to forget to really love.

Bible verse:

Mark 12:30-31 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.There is no other commandment greater than these.

Dear God, thank you for always being with us. Help me to want to be with You and help us parents to draw close to our children daily.

Grow Closer, not just Do More


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Eczema Devotional

Mom-E-votional : Eczema Discrimination

Eczema Devotional for Children Discrimination

 

School can be difficult for some children – not everyone is going to be popular or be blessed to find friends to confide in. Being accepted is a HUGE part of school. I can only imagine things would be tougher now compared to when I was in school (which I clearly remembered I’m one of the quiet thinkers at the sideline of all the action). Having eczema on the face, or apparent on the neck and limbs can make it so much more difficult for a child to fit in! It is possible that they become obvious targets for bully or be ostracized or teased in school.

This reminded me again of how much Jesus loves us and how He sees us for who we are, instead of how we look. Jesus is radical for his times – he sat with tax collectors, talked to prostitute and He sees their hearts. I do pray that our children will not be discriminated or laughed at for their eczema and for us parents to have the wisdom to help them through it. We may raise awareness in the school, build our child’s confidence and show them love.

Bible verse:

Galatians 3:28 : There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Dear God, I thank You that You love us and You have set an example for us and our children on how not to judge by appearance. Love, patience, kindness are valued more than popularity and teach us not to discriminate others too.

Ignore those who Discriminate 

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Eczema Devotional

Mom-E-votional : Solidarity

Eczema Parents' Talk about Kids
Shared concern, responsibility brings about solidarity!

It amazes me how women size up each other – I guess everyone give off some vibes from their appearance and mannerism on who they are and hang out with. For me, (have I ever said this?) I wear no make-up and only have one pair of work shoes, cook my own food and do my own chores. I don’t hang around much with friends who are very different from that. Yet, I suppose another thread that can bind moms together is discussing the problems that they face being a mom, and nothing beats finding another mom who understands about caring for a child’s eczema. This sense of solidarity and for those who don’t know what it means – it’s defined as union or fellowship arising from common responsibilities and interests, as between members of a group or between classes, peoples. And it’s true isn’t it? We like to talk and share with those we know understand what we go through.

This reminds me of Jesus. He is the son of God and very well can be God from the heavens without coming to earth. When I was deciding whether to be a Christian, I used to think that it’s stupid of him. Why bother with all this? Everything is known – get the good guys to heaven and period, minus the drama. When I understood God’s love and his pursuit of us from Adam and Eve time, I see why Jesus was on earth so we can know Him and understand that He understands. And He came for everyone. I pray that all parents of eczema children will find Someone, or someone to share this journey with you and if I can do anything to help be there for you via my blog and support group, let me know.

Bible verse:

1 Corinthians 12: 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

We are all part of a community.

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Eczema Devotional

Mom-E-votional : Double Standard for Eczema Kids Discipline

Eczema Kids Parenting Discipline
Do you apply double standard for your kids (with and without eczema)?

Eczema brings another dimension to parenting – above all the evolving best methods to parent, this can be overwhelming. As a mom of eczema child, I’d be the first to admit that I’m inadequate in many areas, from the top of my (already over-packed with to-do list!) head:

  1. More than half the time, I’m more concerned with whether my child scratches than whether she misbehaves.
  2. Having already exhausted much energy to take care of the skin, nagging, shouting and pleading ‘Not to Scratch’, on top of the usual on Mom-To-Do list like chores, meals (and the list goes on), I don’t really have much fuel left to discipline my child.
  3. It is ‘painful’ to disciple kids – you have to do it right, follow-through, not execute ‘punishment’ randomly, and make sure discipling kids does not become an avenue for anger venting.

And what happens for families with more than one child? Will parents inadvertently apply double standards for a child with eczema and one without? This reminds me of the many dilemmas that parents face daily but yet we try our best (within our limits!) to parent our children right. It is indeed a fine balance and I do pray that for all parents caring for more than one child, you will have the wisdom, energy and love to care for them.

Bible verse:

Proverbs 22:6 Teach children how they should live, and they will remember it all their lives.

Dear God, please help me to parent my child and to deposit the right values for her to be the child You desire her to be. I’m inadequate in so many areas, but I keep trying and have faith that where I fall short, You will take care of it.

Guard your mind and heart in parenting and disciplining your child.

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Eczema Devotional

Mom-E-votional : More than Eczema Infectious

Eczema Devotional for Parents with Eczema KidsAnger

It is not uncommon for eczema on a child’s skin to get infected, in fact untreated eczema coupled with scratching can get infected easily. Particularly on eczema skin, bacteria colonization is common and staph bacteria, in particular, can lead to skin inflammation and renders less effective the treatment for your child’s skin. There are cases of severe infection, whereby it affects more than just the skin, but also leads to systematic infection causing low blood pressure or toxic shock syndrome.

This reminded me how easy it is not just for infection to spread, but also resentment and negativity. Given a chronic condition that is stressful to manage, there are many possible avenues for negativity to creep in. For instance, anger with spouse for not fully understanding the fatigue and care required for eczema child, or resentment over comments that insinuated you causing the eczema. Or it could simply be stressful parents, cranky eczema child and alternate caregivers all caught in 24/7 stress that leads to miscommunication and misunderstandings that linger and fester. Do read Psalm 55 for encouragement, and this bible verse may be comforting to you:

Bible verse:

Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

Dear God, help us to be mindful of negative feelings in our heart. Blow them to the winds and take them far away. Help us to be joyful parents, forgiving others and be a blessing to our child, family and community.

Watch over Your Heart with all diligence

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Eczema Devotional

Mom-E-votional : When Things get from Bad to Worse

Pressing Forward even when the road is difficult (for eczema)
Pressing Forward even when the road is difficult (for eczema)

Eczema is a skin condition that has its days of ups and downs – but there are certain days which seem to be only spiraling down. In the eczema support group sharing sessions that I hold monthly, the times when parents shared about how from bad to worse their child’s skin is getting were really sad – knowing that we as parents have done what we could, yet not knowing what else we could do.

This reminded me of Joseph, a man whose life was shared in bible (Genesis 37-50). Joseph had ensured many hardships and they just seemed to get worse.  He was betrayed by his brothers, separated from his father and sole to slavery. During this time, he was falsely accused, imprisoned, had hope of release from prison and had to wait another two years before his life turned for the better. Yet, when the very same brothers came to him for help during a famine later, he was able to say ‘And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt’ (Genesis 45:7-8).

I’m reminded by Joseph to have a faith in life (things got better) and to have faith in God. I’m also reminded to forgive.

Bible verse:

Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. “For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.”

Dear God, I pray that you help our family (parents and children) to have faith that the eczema will improve. We are tired from the demands of caring for eczema children, lighten our load, uplift our spirits.

Have Faith

Categories
Eczema Devotional

Mom-E-votional : Parents, Start ‘Caring for Me’

Eczema Parents Health
For the 1st time in 20 years, my dentist said my teeth is dirty!

I’m with all of you in this. My first visit to the dentist after caring for my daughter as a full-time stay-at-home mom, my dentist for the first time in my life said ‘You have dirty teeth. Period.’ I’m thinking, WHAT? Caring for my daughter with eczema had obviously limited my brushing teeth time, along with toilet time and sleep time. Cuddle, hug, laugh, TV and exercise time are out of the window. It is 3 years later when her skin is finally good enough that I started my ‘Caring for Me’ routine – making sure I eat well and within my daily calorie limit, exercising, sleeping and of course, regular dental visit.

18 months have passed since my Caring for Me routine and I have never been fitter in my life. I have muscle tone, good stamina, only my flexibility needs work (anyone offering help on this?). Just as they always say during an emergency in the airplane, take care of yourself first, then your child. I like to think that in life, to be sustainable and happily so, we as parents do have to care for ourselves. Scheduling downtime, making an effort to live healthily can help us to be happier higher energy level and in a way, a better parent. I also think of caring for my health as a way to worship God with my body, to have the strength to do His work.

Bible verse:

Luke 10:27 : And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Dear God, I pray that you help us, parents of eczema children or those with family members to take care of with chronic conditions to find time to care for ourselves. I do not want to be tired, stressed or sluggish, but to be a bright cheerful person to encourage and support those around me.

Care for Yourself so that You can Care for Others