With so much upheaval going on in the news lately, I’ve been thinking about life-changing events a lot. My heart has been broken for folks who wake up one morning and before the end of day, their lives have been upended forever.
At times like that, only God and the love of others will help. I know that was the case when I got the phone call years ago with the news of my dad’s suicide. Sweet messages from friends who’d lived through similar circumstances gave me hope that I’d smile again someday.
And God’s Word gave me reassurance that He would be with me through every moment, and that He’d wipe away my tears. I’d have never made it through that situation without Him.
Since we never know when we’ll get one of “those” phone calls or when we’ll encounter one of those unexpected occasions, now is a good time to prepare our hearts with a protective coating of God’s promises.
And now is the perfect opportunity to think through how we’ll help others when those difficult circumstances arrive:
1) Memorize God’s promises from Scripture so that those verses will come to mind when you need them. An easy way to find them is to type “verses about comfort” or “verses about God’s promises” in your search engine. Print them out on colored cardstock, cut them into individual verses, and then put them in a pretty jar. Place it on your table and pull one out every week so you can memorize it.
2) Plan now for what you can do to help others so that you’ll be able to jump into action immediately. Could you prepare a meal (or fix several things to put in their freezer)? How about keeping your friend’s children for a few hours to give her or him a rest?
3) Spend an afternoon with your loved one, just be with them or do small jobs around the house. Or offer something like car maintenance for a single mom who’s struggling.
Ask Guideposts’ OurPrayer team to pray for you!
4) Send a card each week or a care package to someone you love who is going through a hard time. It doesn’t take much to be a blessing, and often just knowing that others are thinking about you and praying for you can mean a lot.
5) One of the best gifts you can give them is the reminder that nothing is unexpected to the God who knows our tomorrows—and that the God who’s been faithful to us in the past will be faithful to us in the future as well. Tried and proven.
