“Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge until these calamities be overpast.” Ps. 57:1
I called my ninety-one-year-old Ma-maw last night, who is from a generation of people familiar with uncertainty and upheaval (the Great Depression, World War II, Vietnam, The Cuban Missile Crisis, assassinations), and she admitted she had never seen a time quite like the one we find ourselves in today. While there are many things we don’t know, there are a few things we can be sure of – today people need love, grace, and hope.
So often our excuse for not helping others is that we are too busy. BOOM. Problem solved. What a gift of time we have been given. Let’s not squander it.
I can already feel the pushback, “This is too big. I’m one person. I’m not a doctor or a scientist. There’s nothing I can do that will make a difference.”
Andy Stanley often says, “Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone.”
Here are some things you can do today that will make a difference for someone.
- Give Spring Break Away – Our family was supposed to leave on Friday for an epic road trip through Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. We often wing our travel plans a bit, but not this time. A concert in Vienna, glamping in Slovenia, stunning national parks and more. Not is that trip canceled, but our entire spring itinerary is gone thanks to a 60-day DOD travel ban. We are not the only ones with canceled trips.
What if we all took the money we were going to use for these trips and gave it away? For many of us, our paychecks will not be altered during this time, however there will be millions whose paychecks stop as the service industry screeches to a halt. Look at your budget – how much more money will you have this month because you won’t be going out to eat, going to movies or going out with friends?
We can bridge the gap for someone this month. Think small. Here’s some ideas:
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- Pay the rent and/or utilities for a waiter or waitress
- Give to a local food bank or school providing food for students
- Buy six-month’s worth of gift cards from your hair stylist, nail salon or favorite locally owned restaurant.
- Give an impacted family gift cards for groceries that will last for a month
- Give to organizations that are helping meet these needs
We cannot sit back and expect the government to bail out every industry and individual impacted through this. We can make a difference if we take the time to find out where there are needs and then do for one what we wish we could do for all.
If you are in need, please let someone know! No one can help if they don’t know there is a need.
- Support your Local Church & Businesses – Churches depend on weekly offerings to function. If you are a regular attender at a church, do not forget to do this! We need our churches more than ever to be avenues of hope and help for our communities. Virtually every church has ways for you to give online, or if you are like my mom and still use checks, you could even stick one in the mail.
If possible, continue paying for things like gym memberships and art lessons, even if classes are canceled. You can probably handle paying for a gym membership you aren’t using, but can your gym afford for the majority of its members to cancel? Move things like counseling, music lessons, and tutoring sessions online instead of canceling. Reschedule trips instead of canceling, if possible.
- Do What You Can – For most of us, we have more free time that we have ever experienced in our adult lives. We can do better than setting Netflix viewing records. What are you good at? What can you offer to a neighbor or friend that you normal wouldn’t have time to do? A friend in text group said yesterday, “My superpower is menu planning.” That is a gift she can offer to local friends holed up in their apartments. God has uniquely gifted each one of us with different strengths that can shine through this dark time. Here’s some ideas:
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- Write letters to elderly friends, family members or nursing home residents.
- Offer to buy groceries for an older neighbor.
- Offer to buy groceries or run errands for your friends that are nurses and doctors.
- Start an online Bible Study or book club using Zoom or other video platform (this works for kids or adults).
- Offer a virtual weekly prayer time for those in your neighborhood.
- Post daily workouts for kids as PE ideas.
- Buy only what you and your family need. Think of others above yourself. If you have a year’s worth of anything, would you be willing to share with a local food bank to help meet the needs of others?
Even if you do nothing else on this list, could I ask you to pray? Pray for our leaders, health professional, emergency responders, grocery store employees, teachers, pastors, and others on the front lines of this. Pray they have the wisdom and good health to lead us through this. If you want to pray, but aren’t sure how or have questions about faith, please contact me. Jesus offers hope, peace, grace and forgiveness for all. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or where you are.
Have more ideas? Please share in the comments things you and your family are doing!