Gospel devotional that offers hope, comfort, and encouragement to those caring for others.
Caring for someone you love who has dementia is a huge privilege but a heavy load too. It can be draining and sometimes overwhelming.
Unfailing Love provides support and care for the caregiver with 30 short devotions on simple gospel truths that bring comfort and hope. You will be encouraged to learn that it is possible to both lament and trust God at the same time—that you can bring your struggles honestly to him as you continue to find strength in his word. Woven throughout are stories from fellow caregivers so you can find solace in the experiences of others.
If you are not a caregiver yourself but know someone who is, love them well by gifting them this compassionate devotional.
God our Heavenly Father Is Both Loving and Powerful
1 Knowing God as Father
2 Knowing God's Character
3 Delighting in God's Wise and Fatherly Purpose
4 The Lord Is Good
5 Receiving from him Daily
6 Have You Not Heard?
7 Lamenting and Believing Go Together
God Cares for Us and Has Made Us in His Image
8 Personal Knowledge
9 Person-Centered Care
10 I Am Called by Your Name
11 To Gray Hairs I Will Carry You
12 Love Wins
God Is with Us When We Suffer
13 How Long?
14 Where Are You God?
15 Wake up God
16 Why Me? Why Not Me?
17 With the Three in the Fiery Furnace
18 Death's Bite Remains
God Gives Us a Hope Beyond This Life
19 Going Home
20 I Shall See Your Face
21 The Weight of Glory
22 Not As She Will Be
23 You Did It to Me
24 Clay Pots
God Has Placed Us in His Loving Family
25 We Need Friends
26 All Things in Common
27 When You Suffer
28 The Lord Will Keep You
29 Love As I Have Loved
30 The Last Word
Glossary
| Contributors | Robin Thomson |
|---|---|
| ISBN | 9781802543001 |
| Format | Paperback |
| First published | July 2025 |
| Dimensions | 5.1" x 7.8" x 0.5" |
| Weight | 6.84 oz |
| Language | English |
| Pages | 160 |
| Publisher | The Good Book Company |
I’ve learned in my own mother’s Alzheimer’s journey that dementia is (as the author of Ecclesiastes described) a crooked line that can’t be made straight. If you’re exhausted by the failure to problem-solve, wearied by the toll of caregiving, and looking for God in this valley of the shadow of death, take up this book. It will comfort you to remember God carries us as we care.
I’m delighted to commend these Bible meditations and, at times, heart-rending personal testimonies, not least because my dear father suffered an accident which vastly accelerated the decline of his mind. I watched first-hand as my family and a number of other carers sought to look after him in the midst of dementia. Strikingly, the two best carers he had were sustained by a radiant Christian faith, and it really did make a huge difference in the long hours of caring for my father. So it’s a privilege to recommend this book, which helps to sustain those who are undertaking this incredibly challenging calling.
Unfailing Love offers a rich, embodied theology of dementia care rooted in the unwavering presence of God. This collection of devotions doesn’t shy away from the hard realities of dementia; instead, it meets them head-on, interweaving honest expressions of lament with unshakeable hope. Each reflection creates a sacred space where caregivers are invited to find themselves held within God’s steadfast love. This is more than a devotional—it’s a compassionate companion, embracing the complexity of dementia with theological depth and pastoral gentleness. Unfailing Love honours the dignity of all involved, reaffirming that even amid dementia’s fragmentation, the God who knows us fully remains present, steadfast and loving.
As perhaps one of the solemnest topics to write on, caring for someone with dementia can be mentally and spiritually draining. As Thomson says, it is both "a huge privilege and a heavy load". And yet, throughout this 30 day (undated) devotional, he helps us to see that our Father in Heaven cares for us and listens, even in those tough times. The Bible is full of reassurance for us that he is with us in these draining moments, so that we can both lament the troubles and celebrate the realities of walking with God throughout our entire lives, including the caring responsibilities we may have been given.
Unfailing Love is a 30-day devotional aimed at encouraging the caregivers who suffer as they meet the challenging needs of those suffering with dementia. Often the suffering that a dementia caregiver experiences is fundamentally different than the suffering of the one diagnosed. Robin Thomson has not only encouraged caregivers through biblical texts and personalized stories, but he also speaks from the real depths of grief as he watched his own bride, Shoko, succumb to Alzheimer’s.
Thomson writes with eternity at the forefront and the hope of the gospel undergirding each devotion. Thomson has a rich theology of suffering and recognizes the mysterious duality of real, deep, terrible, tangible pain in Alzheimer’s and the profound goodness within experiencing this kind of affliction. This book would help the reader in any affliction as it shares biblical insights that are bedrock truths for all suffering in a believer’s life.
Thomson walks through the Psalms of lament, shares transparent stories from countless people who have cared for and walked through Alzheimer’s, and is deeply encouraging with promises of God for those in Christ.
I do wish the stories of fellow caregivers were either clearly separated from or clearly integrated into the devotionals. However, the stories are a huge highlight and is what makes this book special—Thomson provides you a moment of entering into someone else’s suffering which takes your eyes off your current struggle and reminds you that you are not alone in walking the road marked with suffering.
This would be a lovely gift to your friends who have inevitably withdrawn from so much in order to care so deeply for their loved one who is no longer who they used to be and not yet as they will be, if they are Christ’s. (113)
