How to Prioritize Time, Money, and Energy in Christian Dementia Caregiving
You are standing in the kitchen, reheating the same cup of coffee for the third time. The voicemail light on your phone is blinking again, bills are piled on the table, and you can’t remember the last quiet moment you enjoyed. In that swirl of fatigue, the real question isn’t what should I do next?—it’s how am I supposed to keep doing it all?
That scene opens Episode 263, and every Christian caregiver knows the feeling. Yet right there, the Lord invites a shift in mindset: dementia caregiving isn’t about doing everything; it’s about stewarding what He has given—time, money, and energy—with clarity and trust in Him.
Stewardship Is a Biblical Mandate—Not a Burden
God “does not expect us to be everything to everybody.” Instead, 1 Corinthians 4:2 reminds us:
“Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.”
He allocates 24 hours to each believer, varying measures of strength, and different levels of financial provision. Our call is faithfulness, not omnipotence.
“Many family caregivers try to do everything by themselves.”
When we shoulder tasks God never assigned, exhaustion masquerades as holiness. True stewardship frees us to serve from overflow, not obligation.
“Not Everything Is Equally Important.”
Lizette’s practical filter is the 4D Method™ — Do, Delay, Delete, Delegate.
- Do the non-negotiables God has explicitly entrusted to you (for spouses, marital intimacy; for health-care proxies, medical decisions).
- Delay projects like deep-cleaning the filing cabinet until the season allows.
- Delete ministries or hobbies God has not asked of you right now (Lizette herself paused hospitality and nursery duty).
- Delegate what others can handle—lawn care, grocery delivery, even selected doctor visits.
Psalm 90:12 urges us to “number our days.” Every “yes” costs finite hours and finite energy; the 4D Method™ helps us spend both wisely.
Money Matters—Yet It’s More Than Money
Finances carry guilt, fear, or resentment. One cohort member felt ashamed using her mother’s funds to hire a housekeeper, even though the help preserved her stamina for higher-value care.
Luke 14:28 asks:
“Which one of you… does not first sit down and calculate the cost?”
Counting the cost is not worldliness; it is worship.
Paid respite, meal delivery, and in-home aides can look extravagant, but burnout is costlier. If you collapse, the burden simply shifts to someone else—often your own children.
God Cares About Your Capacity
Your energy tank resembles a fuel gauge: run it to empty, and the engine stalls. Jesus modeled rest—sleeping in a boat, withdrawing to pray, inviting the disciples:
“Come away… and rest a while” (Mark 6:31)
He calls modern caregivers likewise:
“No one person alone can do dementia caregiving alone.”
Matthew 11:28 still stands:
“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Sabbath was made for man, not vice-versa.
A Real-Life Example
In the Contented Caregiver Blueprint™ cohort, one participant chose to hire a young woman from church to clean her home monthly. Her reason mirrored Lizette’s: investing a little money reclaimed energy for her husband and mother.
That single delegation fulfilled stewardship in all three arenas—time, money, and energy—while blessing another family with income.
The Question That Reframes Everything
Lizette always asks:
“Let’s say it is six months from today and your caregiving journey is easier. What does that look like for you?”
The unchanged wording matters: it forces caregivers to picture a concrete, grace-filled future and then reverse-engineer today’s 4D decisions.
Could “easier” mean:
- a weekly night off?
- a budget line for meal kits?
- a delayed renovation?
- a deleted committee role?
Next Steps in Faith
- List today’s top ten tasks. Label each Do, Delay, Delete, or Delegate.
- Pray through Luke 14:28 and ask God which investments honor Him.
- Schedule one act of rest before the week ends—a walk, a nap, a silent hour with Scripture.
- Register for the free workshop 📅 Saturday, July 12, 12 p.m. ET
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May He grant wisdom for every Do, courage for every Delete,
patience for every Delay, and humility for every Delegate.
Steward your limited time, money, and energy under His limitless grace—so when the reheated coffee finally stays warm, you’ll still have strength to savor it.
Transcript
The Burden of Caregiving
[0:00] You are standing in the kitchen, reheating the same cup of coffee for the third time. The voicemail light on your phone is blinking again, and your mind is on all of the bills piled up on the table, and you cannot even remember the last time you had a quiet moment. In that moment, the question isn’t, what should I do next? It’s how am I supposed to keep doing it all? That is when the Lord starts to shift how you think. Because dementia caregiving isn’t about doing everything. It is about stewarding what you’ve been given, your time, your money, and your energy with clarity and trust in him. Hey, Christian Care Companion. Welcome to Dementia Caregiver’s Support for Christians, the podcast that walks with you through dementia care, bringing peace, purpose, and God-honoring relationships to your journey. Maybe you’re caregiving for a parent who is struggling, or maybe you’re showing up every day, but your heart may be feeling distant.
[1:18] Wherever you are, there’s a space for you here with real stories, real hope, and grounded care. So, if you’re a Christian wife caring for the one you promised to live your life with, or a daughter trying to juggle it all, this is the podcast for you, and you do not have to walk this journey alone. If you’re looking for practical help that is grounded in a biblical worldview and actually practical, join me for our next free live workshop, Saturday, July the 12th at 12 p.m. Eastern. We’ll walk through how to be a caregiver that protects your future.
[2:04] Honors your loved one, and reflects your faith. You can register now at thinkdifferentdementia.com forward slash WSL. And if you cannot make it live, you’ll still get access to the interactive replay.
Prioritizing Time, Money, and Energy
[2:22] So go ahead and register. Now let’s get into today’s episode, how to prioritize time, money, and energy in dementia caregiving. I don’t know about you, but I know that our time, our money, and our energy is always limited. We are not created to have unlimited time and energy. We are finite humans. The one that is a little harder to predict is money because everybody is provided a different level of blessing financially. And we recognize that not everybody has the same amount of money, but every single one of us are granted in a day the exact same amount of time. It is finite.
[3:21] None of us are given one minute more other than if you pass away, right? But I’m talking about under normal circumstances. We are all provided with 24 hours in a day, 360 days a year. And everybody’s energy also differs but is also finite. We don’t have unlimited energy and it is up to us as we are thinking about being a family caregiver of somebody living with dementia to recognize that this journey is a part of God’s stewardship design for you. So time, money, and energy. We’re going to look at it under three or four very simple points. The first one is stewardship is a biblical mandate. It is not a burden. The second one is not everything is equally important, which is.
[4:22] Something we don’t often think about. The third thing is money does make a difference, right? But it’s not about money per se. It matters, but it’s not just about money per se. The fourth point is God does care about your capacity or your ability to provide
Stewardship as a Biblical Principle
[4:40] care, right? So four simple points. So the first one that we’re going to look at today is that stewardship is a biblical principle or mandate. And stewardship is not a burden. So God does not expect us to be everything to everybody. God expects us to be faithful with what he has given us to do. That includes our schedule, it includes our finances, and includes our physical capacity. Many, many, many family caregivers try to do everything by themselves.
[5:21] They are reluctant to either delegate or to delay doing something or sometimes even investing the money to take something off of their plate in order for them to be able to be a good steward of the journey that they are on. I’ll not forget Recently, I’m doing this contented caregiver blueprint, and we have a few people in the class. It’s a live class that I’ve been teaching because I’m putting together information that I’m hopeful will be helpful to Christian family caregivers.
[6:03] And in one of the conversations, one of the participants in this particular cohort, I shared with her a methodology that I am teaching people. I call it the 4D method. Do, Delay, Delete, Delete. Or delegate. And one of the things that we talked about was that I made a decision and it is a financial, I don’t want to say hardship, but I have chosen to invest in having my house cleaned once a month, not because cleaning my house is beneath me, because it is not. I’m perfectly capable of cleaning my house, but because the investment of my time and energy into cleaning my house, I can use that time or energy in a different way to serve my dad, to serve you by recording these podcasts, to do different activities. And the next week she came back and she actually said to me she has spoken with and hired a young lady in their church to come clean the house for the same reason.
[7:19] Not because it’s beneath her. She’s been a housekeeper, a steward of her own household her entire life, but in recognizing that if she needed to choose between spending time with her husband or spending time taking care of her mom, that she’s using her energy to clean her house, which leaves her with less energy to do anything else. So I want you to consider as you’re thinking through tasks and things that you’re doing, that there are certain things that we can make different decisions to steward in a different way. The ESV in 1 Corinthians 4 verse 2 says, Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. So God is giving us limited time, limited energy, and everybody, most people do not have unlimited money. Some people have more money than other people, and that’s not what this conversation’s about. But what I want you to consider is that as we are going through a caregiving journey, we are called to actually steward it. This verse, moreover, it is required of stewards, that they be found trustworthy.
[8:37] Worthy, grounds our entire caregiving approach. We are not the owners of our own time. We are not the owners of our money or our strength. We are managers under God’s authority of these resources that he has given us
Not Everything is Equally Important
[8:53] because they are resources. The second thing that we’re going to look at is not everything is equally important, And this plays into our time. When we prioritize our time, it teaches us to say no wisely and let us recognize that every yes that we say has a investment in our time and effort, right? Effort and energy are the same thing. So as I mentioned in this cohort that I’m taking people through, I teach them the 4D method, do, delay, delete, or delegate. And this can help you start to filter through certain things that you absolutely have to do. And I’m not going to go into all of them right this second. But for example.
[9:46] Under the do category, there are certain things that are absolutely something that only you can do with or for the person who is the person you’re taking care of. For example, some of those are related to our specific roles that we have. So for if you are a spouse, the only person who has the right and the duty to be intimate with your spouse is you. That is not something that you can delegate to someone else. It is your role to steward. So it helps you to be able to filter through. If you look at what do I have to do? If you are, for example, the power of attorney, that brings certain things that are absolutely your authority and yours alone to do. Things that can be delegated, lawn care, housekeeping, things that can be delayed.
[10:49] Perhaps sorting through old clothing in the closet or your filing cabinet. Those might be things that you can delay. There might be things that you can delete. Delete and delay can kind of be the same thing sometimes, but that you can absolutely delete for a season. So for us, In our caregiving season, we have done hospitality for decades. And currently in this caregiving season, I have actually deleted that off of my tasks. An activity that I have chosen to delete from my life in the life of the church is I am not gifted for the nursery. So I have chosen to delete that off of my list and say no, because it uses up all of my energy and I do not have that extra energy to share. So this is a good filter that you can use. Are there certain things that you can delegate? Like, for example, I go to most of the doctor’s appointments, but selectively at times there are doctor’s appointments that my husband can take my dad to, and therefore I delegate them to my husband so that he can help me with this. So consider that your time is something you can never get back. And according to the NASB.
[12:12] In Psalm 90, verse 12, it says, So teach us to number our days, that we may present to you a heart of wisdom. We all only have a certain amount of time. Nobody, people who are with us all have the same amount of time. But we are to number our days. And God invites us to consider our time. Time is the one resource you can never get back. When your time is done, your time is done. When the Lord calls you home, your time is done. We all have the same amount of time every single day. One person doesn’t get 25 hours. One person doesn’t get 23. If you are alive, you get 24 hours, seven days a week, right? And God is inviting you to steward your time wisely and to consider what he is calling you to do in this journey and look at your time as a resource that
The Role of Money in Caregiving
[13:12] you need to steward as well. The third thing that we’re going to look at is money does matter, but it is not just about money, right? Financial decisions are frequently in caregiving come with a lot of emotions.
[13:26] Sometimes it comes with guilt. A lot of times people are worrying about not having enough money. Sometimes it comes with resentment. So if your parents weren’t prudent and they did not save, or if they’re out living their savings and you were supplementing as the adult child, you could feel resentful because you’re supplementing your parents in being able to help them and sustain them. We can sometimes feel guilty. I recently spoke to a daughter who has no siblings. Her mom lives with her. Her mom has resources, but she felt guilty in using her mom’s resources to pay for paid caregivers so that she could have some respite so that she could replenish her energy and have some time to herself. But that’s not the foundational part of it, right? Money is a factor, but money is also a resource. And money is also something that we have to trust that the Lord is going to provide exactly what you need when you need it. So for example, a lot of people defer.
[14:46] Paying for respite care, in-home health care, non-medical health care, grocery deliveries, that is something that can be delegated to someone else. You can put in the order and somebody can pick it up for you and bring it to your home and deliver it, but we don’t want to pay for it because we think it’s too expensive, right? But is it really? Is it really too expensive? if you burn out you’ve kicked the can down the line somebody else then is responsible if you’re the parent and you burn out and you pass away before the person you’re caring for you have now put your children in the same position that you are in by not providing for yourself the rest and the respite that you need, which may require an investment of money. And so I want you to think about that. I want you to sit with that just for a little bit, because the Bible also talks about in Luke chapter 14, verse 28.
[15:53] Which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it. And it is not just about money, right? We do need to know that we have enough money, but we want to also know that the Lord is going to prepare and provide exactly what it is that you need when you need it. And so we do need to be fiscally responsible, but we do not want to be afraid of what is coming in the future if you do have the resources to help yourself. God shows us that, and if you think about it, we are mandated to be good stewards and tithes.
[16:33] From our first fruits. And some of this concept shows the abundance of God that God is going to provide for your every single need. And he knows that you need rest. He knows that you need help. And I understand that everybody’s situation is different. And if you’re struggling, I invite you to schedule a call and let me spend 20 minutes with you to see if I can creatively help you come up with a solution related to your financial situation and help you through a barrier. You can hop on my calendar, go to thinkdifferentdementia.com and go to the contact us page or the schedule a call. And I would be happy to help you.
Understanding Your Capacity
[17:20] I’m here to help you make this journey easier. The fourth thing that we’re going to look at is God does care about your capacity.
[17:28] He knows that you only have a certain amount of energy. It’s kind of like trying to run a car or a vehicle on empty, right? We know that your car will stop if you don’t have enough gas in your tank. Our energy is like a gas tank of a car. When you run out of gas, you run out of gas. It is limited. And so he has asked you to remember that your energy is a finite resource. And if you are not replenishing your energy every single day by either sleeping or by getting respite care, he does not expect you to do this alone. He does not expect you to not be able to rest. No one person, and please hear me very clearly, no one person alone can do dementia caregiving alone. We need more than one person alone. Providing care. It is not a one-person job. And so when you give rest to try to get things done, you will end up resenting the people that you are caring for. You will end up burning out. You will end up being one of the 30% of caregivers who actually pass away before the person that they’re caring for. I mention the statistic frequently.
[18:58] The numbers are hard to get, but the number of caregivers who pre-decease the person that they’re taking care of is staggering if you think about it. So this is not just a suggestion. This is a strongly worded request for you to truly stop and look at whether you are overextending your limited resource of your capacity or your energy. Christ went away to rest. Christ slept. Christ did not work 24 hours a day. When he was here in his humanity, he had the exact same problems we had. He was tired. He was weary. He was hungry. He was cold. He was in pain. He felt everything that we feel from a human perspective when he was here. And he rested. He rested. The Bible also talks and tells us, come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest in Matthew 11, verse 28. And then he also said to the disciples that he said to them, come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.
[20:24] For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have a time to eat. In Mark 6, verse 31, Jesus himself rested. He modeled this behavior to us. It is not an indulgence. It is a requirement. You are finite. You do need to rest. And that is why we have a Sabbath day rest. It’s because God created a Sabbath day for us to rest. He didn’t create the Sabbath for himself to rest. He doesn’t need to rest. We need to rest. But he created the Sabbath for man because man needs to rest,
Recap of Key Points
[21:09] and God cares about that. So quick recap. We looked at four different points today.
[21:16] We looked at stewardship is a biblical mandate. It is not a burden. We are to be good stewards of our time, our money, and our energy. We looked at not everything is equally important, that it is important for us to steward our time and energy. It is also important for us to recognize that money matters, but it is not the be-all and end-all of everything. We can make more money, we can never make more time, and we can only replenish our energy if we are taking care of ourselves. And God does care about your capacity. He does care about your energy. He does mandate us to rest. So stewardship is important. God has entrusted you with limited time.
[22:10] Limited money, and limited energy. I want you to consider using the 4D method to filter your to-do list and help you. So what is absolutely yours to do? What can you delegate? What can you delay? What can you delete for this season? I want you to consider really planning ahead and investing in your future self after caregiving by investing money into helping you with this filter of do, delay, delete, and delegate. And then honor yourself by resting before you break down. And remember, you are not called to do everything. You are not called to do everything, sweet person. So, my dear Christian care companion, where are you overextending yourself in ways that God has not asked you to?
[23:12] And what would it look like if you were to surrender your time, your money, and your energy back to him? He is the one that holds the whole earth in his hands, and he will help you decide what is the most important thing for you to be able to steward. He is there for us. He is there for you. So if you need some help mapping this out, please come join me at our next free workshop this month on July the 12th at 12 p.m. Eastern. It’s typically a Saturday. You can register at thinkdifferentdementia.com forward slash WSL and we will look at three ways to make this journey easier for you. If you’re not able to attend at that time, register in any case, because the workshop will be available to you for a week afterwards. So I hope to see you on July the 12th at 12 p.m. Eastern. And as I end all of my episodes, may the Lord bless you and keep you, and may he give you wisdom as to how you can be a better steward of your time, effort, and money. I will talk to you in our next episode.
