Mind Games

I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning,

your minds may

 be corrupted from a complete and pure devotion to Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:3

My father-in-law is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease.  Though only 70 years old, he was diagnosed about 7 to 8 years ago.  Anyone who has a loved one with this disease knows just how debilitating it can become.  The sufferer can be just as healthy as a horse physically, but their mind is terribly sick.  "Dad," as I warmly call him, has maintained most of his memory for most of the years he's had this disease.  Short term memory is a challenge for him.  He sometimes tell us the same thing over and over again, just within minutes, but he still knows who we all are and he still loves to crack jokes with the best of 'em. 

The sad thing is, Dad knew he had Alzheimer's.  When he was diagnosed, he was very aware of what this  would mean for him - it ran in his family.  His aunt had it.  The disease has very recently worsened.  Since last spring, Dad's condition has radically declined.  An incident occurred in the late spring/early summer that required quick intervention and change of medications.  Dad was slipping faster down the path he had resisted for so long.  Then another major incident occurred a little over a week ago.  It was such a critical situation that Scott and I had to drop all plans and rush to his parents' home.  All was good, but we stayed for hours and are on call 24/7 in case we are needed once again.

There are so many incidents are happening but I don't want to mention them all out of respect to Dad.  But even in the midst of all this, he's still Dad.  We still see glimpses of him.  He's still with us - trying to crack jokes and when he forgets the punchline, he laughs anyway.  He still knows Scott, Bryan, and all of the grandchildren's names.  But I don't think he's called me by my name in a couple of years - he's constantly confusing me with someone from his past.

I can't imagine the mind games this disease is playing in Dad's head.  I couldn't imagine going through what he is going through.  I can't imagine the confusion, despair, and disarray this disease has conjured up in him.  Alzheimer's has disabled our Dad.  My heart hurts from the realization that his condition will become progressively worse.  My heart also aches for Mom, who is trying so hard to care for him at home as long as possible.       

So, when my devotion this morning touched on the challenges of the battlefield of the mind, boy could I could relate!

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand...

 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—Ephesians 6:13-18

 Like the cruel disease that is attacking Dad, our enemy loves to cause us mental distress and anguish.  He plants seeds of strife, causing in us confusion, despair, and disarray.  He ravages our minds, leaving behind mass destruction.  He feeds us with lies designed to disable us, cause confusion, and send us scurrying in defeat!   

Thankfully, God has provided the right armor specifically designed to protect from this type of enemy attack...the Helmet of Salvation! We can be prepared as Christians by taking up this helmet.  The Helmet of Salvation protects us from the mind games of the enemy...reminding us of God's Truth as we fix our thoughts on holiness and righteousness, shielding us from the confusion and mental disorder the enemy tries to inflict!  My devotion put it so succinctly, "The figure of a helmet immediately suggests to us that this is something designed to protect the mind, the intelligence, the ability to think and reason."  Our minds can be settled when this protection is in place, bringing order and God's peace within us! 

In His Love, Cathy