39.2 - How can help?

Lesson 39.2

{geez, I need to hustle up on these...}

Hurting = grief, divorce, job loss, bad/terminal health diagnosis, etc. 

Often when someone is hurting the first phrase out of my mouth wants to be "how can I help"?  In the last few years I've tried to change it to "I'd like to help - may I...[insert helpful ideas here]".  

For example: 

• "I'd like to help, may I bring you a meal on Thursday?" 
• "I'd like to help, may I clean your house?"
• "I'd like to help, can I offer my husband to mow your grass?"
• "I'd like to help, let me do a Target run for you"
• Or sometimes I just do one of those things - in a moment of hard, especially grief, people don't know what they need or want. 
• A Target run example: toilet paper (yes, get them the good stuff, they deserve it), a few snacks, Kleenex, and then include a note full of love and truth.
• "I'd like to help, but the only thing I can think of right now is to pray with you"

I've noticed that if I give a specific task that I can do for them the person hurting is more willing to accept the help. 

So - lesson 39.2 is when you want to help someone try to name a specific thing you can help them with and they are more likely, in my experience, to accept your help. 

What are ideas for ways to help our friends and family during hurting time such as grief, divorce, job loss, bad health diagnosis, etc?