Spreading Kindness To Those Who Are Sad, Sick, or Hurting

This is Day 10 of a 31 day series on Biblical kindness.  You can find the rest of the posts here!

“Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.” Maya Angelou

There are way too many people coping with sadness, loss of hope, sickness, and trying to figure out what direction they should go in this world.

Just this week I have a friend whose mom is very sick with cancer, a friend that is moving to a new community and leaving behind many friends, a friend whose child will be graduating soon and isn’t sure how she and her husband are going to deal with having an empty nest, and a friend whose marriage is on the verge of divorce.

Each one of these friends is dealing with many emotions. In each of these situations, there isn’t a lot I can do to change their situation.  Unfortunately, I can’t cure cancer, heal a marriage, keep a child from graduating, or secure my friend a different job to stay in the area.

But there are some things we can do to help those around us who are hurting, sick, or are sad.  These actions may not change our friends’ circumstances, but they can be a rainbow during a stormy day.

 You can print Acts 28:2 when you click here!

Do you need some ideas for spreading kindness to those who are sad, sick, or hurting?  Here are ten:

1. Make them a meal.  It doesn’t have to be fancy!  You could even do a to-go order from Applebees or grab them a pizza!
2. Offer to babysit for your friend going through a marriage hardship so the couple can go on a date or work on their marriage without their kids being present.  Kids don’t need to hear those arguments and without the stress off watching kids, the couple might be able to work out some of their issues.
3. If your friend is going through a financial hardship, offer to grab some groceries or just buy some extras while you are shopping for yourself and deliver!
4. Send flowers or a “thinking of you” note or text.  Sometimes just that someone cares makes all the difference!
5. Send a care package to a friend that’s sick.  Include a magazine, antibacterial wipes, lotions, chap stick, cough drops or mints, tissues, a note and anything else that might cheer them up.
6. Give gift cards for gas, restaurants, or big box stores like Wal-Mart and Target for families going through a health or a financial crisis.
7. Mow your friend’s yard.  I remember when I first got divorced and had 3 babies that I couldn’t leave alone long enough to go mow my yard and by the time they went to bed, it was dark.  I graciously had a friend and his wife offer to come mow my grass for me twice that first month.  It made such a difference!
8. Don’t wait for the perfect opportunity.  Just do something!  It might be just the thing your friend needs to have a little rainbow in their storm!
9. Ask if you can help by cleaning anything.  If they’ve been gone at the hospital for a while, their refrigerator may need cleaned out!  Those little things can make a big difference.
10. Donate blood.

 What ideas do you have to help others who are sad, sick, or hurting?  Leave a comment below!

To see the other posts in this series click here.

Have you enjoyed what you read here today? Do you have friends or other women you know that could benefit from this resource? If so, please do me a favor! I have included the links below to share with other intentional women! They’ll be glad you did!