Being His Hands & Feet In Times of Tragedy

School shootings, bombs, war, natural disasters.... the daily news bombards us with tragedy after tragedy.  In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing, a quote from Fred Rogers went viral:

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.

I loved these words.  They offer comfort and hope to all of us... especially our children.  A step further, because of the knowledge and love of Jesus, I want my children to know that they too can be helpers and minister to other in times of need. 

Because we have forgone cable this year, my kids really hadn't seen or heard about the tornadoes in Oklahoma.  Then, an opportunity to help arose within one of our homeschool groups, so I explained to the kids the situation.  The group was collecting items to send.  When rattling off suggestions, the kids stopped me at baby supplies.  With a baby in our home, they knew how important these things were, so we gathered diapers, wipes, disposable diaper bags, and paper towels. 

With our donations, the kids also created cards with messages of hope and encouragement.  Some spelling help from Mom, but the words were from their hearts.  As a proud Momma, I took these pictures.  Little did I know that I would share the kids' own words with them later as a reminder of hope in our own trying situation.  God knew!

 

Tragedies can be on a grand scale... as the tornadoes.  Tragedy can affect one family or an individual.  Either way, for anyone in the midst of trials and struggles, we can extend generosity, love, and God's kindness. 

When a fire took the home and all the belongings of a family in our community, we gathered items in our home to donate... a set of dishes from the cupboards, clothes from the closet, etc.  It was the kids who went to their bookshelves and toy bins to find items to give away.  They did so with cheerful hearts.

When a neighbor's family was going through a divorce and having a hard time, we opened our home.  The kids loved having lots of extra play dates with their friends.  While they didn't understand the situation, they knew their buddies were hurting and were glad to offer a time of fun and distraction.  They invited their pals along to church camp as well, and they all has a great time.

When tragedy strikes, how can your children be the hands and feet of Jesus? When someone experiences a death in the family, we often take a meal.  Let your kids help prepare it or make some cookies to take along.  When an elderly neighbor becomes ill or is no longer able to get out and about, have your kids grab her mail, mow his yard, pick her flowers, or go over for a chat.  There are so many opportunities for our families to serve.  Please share your experiences in the comments!

I'm blogging 5 Days of Being His Hands & Feet as a part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew's 5 Days Blog Hop.  Be sure and check out my two previous posts in this series Being His Hands & Feet Through Sponsorship and Being His Hands & Feet Globally (from right where you are).  There are some phenomenal bloggers participating in this blog hop and so many fabulous topics.  I guarantee you will find something of interest to read. Click below!