Faith Over Guilt: Finding Peace in Your Caregiving Journey

Do you ever feel weighed down by guilt as a caregiver—second-guessing your choices, comparing yourself to others, or wondering if you’ve done enough? In this heartfelt episode of A Season of Caring Podcast, Rayna Neises gently reminds us that faith and guilt do not belong together.

Guilt shadows many caregivers, whispering that they're not doing enough or that needing rest makes them selfish. This burden weighs heavily on already exhausted hearts, creating distance from the very grace needed most during challenging seasons.

Drawing from Romans 8:1, "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," we explore why faith and guilt don't belong together. When guilt creeps in—whether from losing patience, feeling inadequate, or believing you should somehow do more—it's essential to recognize this isn't God's voice. While conviction gently draws us toward growth, guilt traps us in shame. The key question becomes: "Does this thought bring me closer to God's love or push me farther away?"

Like autumn leaves that must eventually fall, guilt needs release. Caregiving has its seasons—intense periods, waiting times, and eventually seasons of loss. In each one, God provides specific grace for that moment. Rather than dwelling on yesterday's perceived failures or tomorrow's worries, focus on the present where divine grace meets you exactly as you are. I've created a free Fall Seasonal Rest Rhythm mini-series with three guided audio practices to help you pause, breathe, and remember God's presence even in overwhelming moments. These simple tools remind you that you're more than the guilt you carry, and that peace is available in every season. Download this free resource at aseasonofcaring.com/fallrest and take a step toward living with the freedom God intends for you—even in your season of caring.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Caregiver Guilt
• 2:34 Different Types of Caregiver Guilt
• 5:21 Faith and Guilt Don't Belong Together
• 7:22 Seasonal Rest for Caregivers
• 10:20 Closing Thoughts and Blessing

Transcript

Rayna Neises: 0:06

Welcome to A Season of Caring podcast, where we share stories of hope for family caregivers breaking through the busyness and loneliness of caregiving to find God, even in this season. I'm Rayna Neises, your host, and I'm so glad that you're here today. You're going to notice that it's just my voice that you are hearing. That's because I'm still looking for podcast guests who will share their story of hope in their caregiving. Even if you're still caregiving, I would love to be able to talk with you about how God has shown up for you in your season. All you have to do is reach out to me at my email, at Rayna@aseasonofcaringcom. I would love to talk to you about sharing your story on the podcast.

Rayna Neises: 0:55

All right, so today, with just little old me, let's start talking about the subject that I really thought would be helpful to you. We're talking about something that I hear so many caregivers talk about during this caregiving season, and that is guilt. To be honest with you, I really didn't struggle with guilt a lot during my season of caring for my dad or even in general life. I'm just one of those things that I think I have a little different perspective on, and I hope that today I can give you an insight into that to help you with caregiver guilt and any other guilt that you might be experiencing. So, as I've listened to so many caregivers over the years, guilt it really does come up. Again and again it can feel like a constant shadow, maybe the second guessing of every choice you make, or whispering that you're not enough, or even making you feel ashamed of needing to rest or take a break. Guilt, it's not pretty. So, even though guilt wasn't my personal burden, I want to spend this episode speaking to it because I know it can weigh very heavy on you, and I want to remind you of something important faith and guilt, they really don't go together. So let's rewind a little bit here. Let's talk a little bit about the different kinds of guilt that might be creeping up for you in your caregiving.

Rayna Neises: 2:34

I'm not doing enough. Hmm, definitely guilt. Probably not true, really. In fact, I think if you are the one who's having that thought, odds are good. It's not true. Only those that are kind of carrying through life not paying a whole lot of attention are probably walking by things that are needs and not paying attention to them. So really challenge it. You are doing enough as long as you are doing your best and you're asking for the help that you need. You're doing enough. I lost my patience. Again, guilt. Okay, I'm going to say I definitely lost my patience in caring for my dad. The thing is I didn't allow it to go to guilt because as soon as it happened, I knew I was wrong and I confessed that and I asked him to forgive me for that. Asked the Lord to forgive me for that. But really, patience is tough. Things are difficult, especially when you're in that pressure cooker. Just know there's always forgiveness, confess and ask for it.

Rayna Neises: 3:43

Another guilt that you might be experiencing is I should be able to do more, but I just can't. Guilt, gosh, those shoulds. They get us in trouble every time. Anytime you're saying I should, should, should, should. You probably need to step back and really pay attention to that, because I'm not sure who's putting that on you. I know for myself. When the shoulds kick in, it's usually just me. Everybody else is looking at all that I'm doing and saying how are you doing at all? So make sure that you're really paying close attention to what you think you should do.

Rayna Neises: 4:19

I want a break, and that makes me selfish. Guilt, ugh. Not true either. There's no reason why a break should equal selfishness. All of us need a break from time to time, caregiving or not. Definitely, while you're caregiving, you need those breaks. So do any of those sound familiar?

Rayna Neises: 4:41

Guilt it has a way of just creeping in there when you're already exhausted. Especially it takes the little cracks of our hearts and tries to wedge them wide open and it really can bring us down. So here's the truth that I want you to lean into today Faith and guilt, they don't belong together. Romans 8, 1 tells us there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. That means if you belong to Jesus, you are free from shame, you are free from condemnation and you are free from guilt. Psalm 103 says as far. Yes, god sometimes uses conviction. Actually he does. He convicts us of our sins. Right, but conviction and guilt are not the same thing. Conviction draws us closer to God and points us to growth and change. Guilt, on the other hand, it just keeps us stuck in shame. So here's a reflection question I want you to ask yourself, especially when you feel guilty question I want you to ask yourself, especially when you feel guilty Does this thought bring me closer to God's love or push me farther away. If it pushes you further away, it's not from Him. So stop and really take the thought captive and be sure that you are identifying how it's impacting you.

Rayna Neises: 6:31

So let's think about seasons, since we're getting ready to come into the fall and where I live, the leaves are just starting to have a little color change. I thought it might be good to put it in this perspective. Fall reminds us that leaves have to drop. They cannot cling on forever. In some ways, guilt is the same way. It needs to be let go. It just needs to fall away. Caregiving itself has seasons Seasons of intensity, seasons of waiting and seasons of loss. In each season, god gives grace for what's in front of you, for where you are right now. Don't spend too much time looking ahead and borrowing trouble. Focus on here. This is where the grace is.

Rayna Neises: 7:22

So, to experience this practically, I created a brand new free resource for you. It's a three-part fall seasonal rest rhythm mini audio series. That's long, isn't it? Let me tell you about each one of the audios that are just short and simple in this mini audio series. So the first one is stillness breath. It's a guided practice to help you pause and breathe when your day feels overwhelming. The second one is warmth pause it's a cozy invitation to rest in the middle of your season, to be reminded that you don't have to keep pushing without a break. And the third one is harvest gratitude a gentle rhythm to help you notice and name God's goodness even in the hard places. These are three simple audio pauses for you to take with you wherever you are, reminders that you are more than the guilt that you carry and that God's presence brings peace, even in this season. You'll find the link to this free mini-series in the show notes page at www. aseasonofcaring. com/fallrest. Fall

Rayna Neises: 8:47

rest.] Now, why does this matter? Here's why it's important. Guilt keeps you from joy, it keeps you from seeing yourself the way that God sees you, and it steals the very energy that you need for your caregiving you in this season to condemn you. He placed you here to love you through it and to love you right in the middle of it. Caregiving will stretch you, that is for sure, but it would it should never crush you under guilt. So today, as we are looking at guilt and caregiving and all of these things, let's recap what we've learned. There are many forms of caregiver guilts and the truth that faith and guilt really don't belong together. Remember when you are feeling guilt, give them over to the Lord and ask for

Rayna Neises: 9:54

the truth.

Rayna Neises: 9:56

talked about how seasonal rhythms of grace can help you to release that guilt and rest in God's presence. Friend, if guilt is weighing you down, I want to encourage you. God never intended for you to carry it. He invites you to live free. God never intended for you to carry it. He invites you to live free.

Rayna Neises: 10:20

And if you'd like practical next steps, don't forget to download the fall seasonal rest rhythm audio mini series. It's my gift to you and I believe it will help you breathe a little deeper, rest a little more and remember you're not alone. Rest a little more and remember you're not alone. You can get that on the show www. ASeasonofCaring. com/podcast or at ww. w. aseasonofcaring. com/fallrest fall rest. So let me leave you with this blessing from " Jude 24. Now to him, who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy. You are loved, forgiven and free. Step into that freedom today and kick guilt to the curb. Thank you for joining me today for a Season of Caring podcast where we share stories of hope to help us to live content, love well and care without regrets. If you have financial, medical or legal questions, be sure to connect with your local professionals and take heart in your Season of Caring.