Quote by Katherine Hepburn

Love has nothing to do with
what you are expecting to get
— only what you are expecting to give —
which is everything. What you will
receive in return varies.
But it really has no connection
with what you give.
You give because you love
and cannot help giving.

I certainly can't agree with every aspect of Katherine Hepburn's life, but I certainly do agree with this quote.

We are caregivers. We do love our care recipients, and we know that regardless of the response we get, we will love and care for them. Because, after all, love is not what you get, it is what you give.

I'm so grateful that today, my husband can and does communicate his gratefulness and thankfulness for the things I do each day to care for him. But what do you do when the person receiving care either cannot or, even worse, will not express gratitude? What if they are a grouch? What if they are mean, harsh, and impatient?

I'll be honest, I don't know how I would respond day after day if I were in that place. But what I do know is that the Bible gives us some instruction and practical guidelines on how to walk this walk.

Here are some scriptures that we can use to encourage ourselves in the Lord. The Lord can do his work, without my preaching this truth. I know that the best lessons I've learned are those where I simply read the scripture and listened to the voice of the Lord.


“Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not” (Romans 12:14).

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind…” (1 Corinthians 13:4).

I must admit, I cannot love the way I should apart from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He will love through us and give us the grace to help in time of need.

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).

My Dear Hubby and I recently had a discussion about this. I asked him, "What do you do in this case? How would you handle that?" I asked him to think it over and give me some scriptures that would address this. The above scriptures are ones he shared with me. Thanks Sweetie.