Holy Privilege, Magnifying Love

Hope for Caregivers

Written by Henri Nouwen

Published by InterVarsity Press

Release Date: 08.16.22

Genre: Christian Devotionals

4 Stars!

Caregiving, at its truest, is not measured in tasks. It is measured in presence.

Reading this devotional felt like stepping into language for something I have lived but rarely tried to define. My love for the one I cared for did not feel conditional or reluctant. It felt wholehearted. Limitless. Peace was not something I was trying to manufacture. It was already there, woven into the quiet rhythm of showing up again and again.

“The mystery of ministry is that we have been chosen to make our own limited and very conditional love the gateway for the unlimited and unconditional love of God.” That sentence humbled me. I have experienced caregiving as a holy privilege. Nouwen gently reminds us that even our most wholehearted love is still carried by Someone deeper, Someone eternal.

“Caregiving … we want to ease pain, to restore calm and peace to those in need.” For me, that restoration often began in the simple act of being present. Of holding a hand. Of staying. Peace did not always mean the absence of suffering. It meant love remaining steady in the midst of it.

“God’s deep love is a revitalizing force lifting us when we have no more strength for the challenges of giving care. We see God’s love in and through one another.” There were nights when sleep was longed for and strength was stretched thin. Yet love did not feel diminished. If anything, it felt clarified. This devotional names that hidden strength and roots it in God’s sustaining grace and power.

Each entry draws the heart toward Christ’s self-giving love. Caregiving becomes participation in something eternal. More than service. More than sacrifice. Communion.

This book met me in a place of deep gratitude. It affirms that caregiving plants roots in eternity. Those who have loved someone through vulnerability, illness, or dependency will recognize themselves within these pages.

Hope for Caregivers does not magnify exhaustion. It magnifies love.

I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review nor paid to do so. This is my honest and unbiased review. My thoughts and opinions expressed in this book review are my own. My review focuses on the writing and the story’s content, ensuring transparency and reliability.