When You Can’t Go Anywhere—How Might You Still Serve Others?

Yesterday’s low temperature was -5 degrees (F); today’s was -1—with a high of 9. Tomorrow morning promises to be 2 degrees. And, the deep freeze continues to impact most of our nation (U.S.), with the threat of four inches of snow in places across the Gulf Coast which almost never see snow.

Our church’s student ministries had planned to use the Monday holiday off school to gather and work on service projects that would help make a difference in our community. Due to icy roads, new snow on the ground, and those drastic temps, that work has been postponed. But it begs the question: how might we all, each of us, find meaningful ways to serve others when we are home-bound (either due to weather, recuperation, or physical or other limitations)?

Here is a start to your list of ideas:

·         Certainly, praying and asking the Lord to inspire and guide us—to nudge us, to bring things to mind—is a great place to start.

·         Using your time indoors to (finally!) sort through your cupboards for food staples (non-expired) and fill a bag to take to the local food pantry when the roads are clear? Often, food pantry staff lament the fact that most people donate during the holidays (November-December), but fail to remember that food insecurity lasts year-long for many, and donations are accepted year-round.

·         Once upon a time, my father lived in a nursing home—a 10-year, very challenging and often isolating journey for he and my mother, who faithfully visited him all day every day until he was safely in bed each night. Prior to Valentine’s Day for years, my daughters, who were elementary age at the time, and I and sometimes their friends would get together in Colorado and create dozens of Valentine cards with encouraging messages. I would mail them to my parents in California, and they would go together (my Dad in his wheelchair, with limited speech but all of his mental faculties, my Mom at his side) to every room in the care facility and personally deliver those notes. It worked as encouragement for everyone involved—my daughters, myself, my parents, and those on the receiving end (who often had few visitors and little to brighten their days.

·         Taking time to sort through your closets for coats and jackets, jeans, and other clothing (lightly used, laundered) that you no longer wear nor need could be a way to spend an hour of your day inside. Box those up, put them directly into your car, and add the clothing bank drop-off to your calendar.

·         Purchase new socks, underwear, blankets, jackets, toiletries, diapers, and the like from your favorite online store. Days later, when these are delivered, take them directly to your local emergency family assistance center or a similar agency (homeless shelter, pregnancy center, etc.).

·         Ask the Lord to bring to mind one person who is struggling—and who would appreciate a phone call. Provide your listening ear and your loving heart to them as you contact them without any agenda except to be the aroma of Christ in that moment.

·         Ask the Holy Spirit to evoke the name of one person who might benefit from a written note/card of encouragement. Sit down today and write, address, and stamp the envelope…and walk it out to your mailbox and put the flag up.

·         Make that donation you’ve been mulling over. Help support an international children’s relief organization. Give money to a new multicultural church plant. Write your tithe to your church—and round it up. Put it in the mail or, easier still, do it online and it’s instant.

·         Read (or reread) the letter/s from a missionary you know. Take time to pray for them today instead of putting it off for another time.

·         So many of us shop at big-box stores and likely have on hand extra granola bars (some boxes have 48 of them!), fig bars, packs of nuts, bottles of water, juice boxes, etc. Package up small goodie bags that you store in your car for future times when you encounter someone who looks like he/she needs a bit of help (or who asks you for a handout). We did this for years and it made us feel like we were able to look someone in the eye, acknowledge their humanity, give them some food relief in the moment, and not worry about where cash might be spent if we had given that instead.

·         Shovel a driveway for an older neighbor or someone with a young baby.

·         Make a meal for a neighbor—soup would be great on a cold day.

You get the idea. This list is just for starters. I’m sure you and your friends, family, small group, ministry partners can think of more things you might do to make a loving and grace-filled impact on your community when you are stuck at home in bad weather.

Let me know what you decide.

Shirley Giles Davis, author of the God. Gifts. You. Your Unique Calling and Design workbook, Your Unique Design Class Guide, Your Unique Design Facilitator Guide, DIOS. DONES. TÚ.: Tu llamado y diseño único (Spanish Edition), and Gifts-Calling-Purpose blog, is a consultant, coach, facilitator who has worked with hundreds of faith-based organizations, nonprofit agencies, and executive leaders in a diversity of fields for four decades. She currently serves as Catalyst for Equipping at her church. 

Photo © Shirley Giles Davis.  

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