Many of you have been as touched as I have by the life and legacy of Kara Tippetts and today I wanted to share a few practical tips for helping others in crisis, inspired by her story. Most of these tips shared below have come straight from a podcast I listened to in which Kara talked about the ways others loved her family well in their time of need. I added a few ideas of my own and brought them all to you today, because really – who won’t this apply to, at some time or another?

– Keep a notebook of needs written for ideas to help that can be shared when asked.  We oftentimes find it hard to accept help – but if needs are already pre-written, many will find it easier to simply share the notebook with someone wondering what they can do!

– Give the gift of your silent presence. Job’s friends sat with him for one week before saying a word!

– In times of disaster, sudden death, or medical hardship, many people have found relief through crowdfunding sites like You Caring to help with miscellaneous medical and other expenses.

– Many people have found that signing up for sites like Caring Bridge are helpful to stay in touch and keep family & friends informed of any medical issues.  This prevents emotional taxing that inevitably occurs when people are short on time and sleep but long on needed updates to report.

– Organize a meal train to lighten the load of someone in an extended season of hard. This simple luxury will mean the world to someone who doesn’t have to worry about dinner on top of the burden they are carrying!

– Enlist the help of your children in caring for others who need you. Many hands really do make light work AND the lessons of love and service kids will learn along the way will not soon be forgotten.  Is is the perfect opportunity to model selflessness while helping kids squash natural selfish tendencies that we all have.

– Remember it’s okay to cry in front of kids, and encourage others to do the same. Give them a framework and lead by example!

– Gift a good book that will love on hurting hearts in their time of need.

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:2

For more on coming alongside those who are struggling, you may want to read how to help someone who is grieving next. What suggestions to bring good in hard times would you have to share?  How has God’s grace met you when crisis has hit close to home in your life?

Friends, how do you struggle with the suffering God has brought into your story? Perhaps it’s a hard child being used to soften and grow you, or a difficult relationship that hurts your heart deeply. How are you trying to fake happiness today because that is the standard the world tries to sell you? Hard is grace too, and its purpose is redemption and to bring you into a deeper understanding of grace.

— Kara Tippetts

Make A Difference Mondays is a weekly linkup designed to encourage and inspire us to live each day on purpose by making a meaningful difference in someone’s life in even the smallest of ways. Read on to learn more about our vision, mission, and how to link up!

Mission
Our mission is to provide a consistent gathering place for like-minded women to build online connections, share inspiration, and provide mutual encouragement and accountability as we seek to live intentionally and make a difference in the lives of those around us.

Vision
Every Monday we will invite bloggers to link up any blog post that encourages women to live life on purpose. This could include testimonies or goals from your own life, small acts of kindness or service, creative tips or ideas for showing consideration to others — the possibilities are endless. Our objective is to use our God-given time and resources to His glory!

Also, just a heads-up:  we have created two fun new ways to keep us all connected! Now we have our own Facebook community group to stay in touch beyond the blog posts AND we also have a new #MADMlinkup group Pinterest board and we will be pinning our favorite posts from the linkup that inspire and encourage us to make a difference. We are so grateful for you and would love for all of you to join us for fellowship in the above linked community group and you can follow the Pinterest board right here to watch for your posts:

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