While many people have various material needs, some just need an extra thought or prayer because of a hurt in their life. Have your family make a difference by offering condolences of compassion and sympathy for those in painful situations.
When our relatives lost their newborn infant to a fatal birth defect, we decided to gather our friends to provide emotional support. We sent out e-mails and made phone calls, asking our friends if they would be willing to write a prayer, a card, or a short condolence for our relatives. Although none of these friends knew our relatives (they lived over 650 miles away), they were willing to heed our request. We printed out the e-mails and gathered the cards and mailed them in a huge envelope to our relatives. What a blessing for our relatives to know that people they had never met were caring about them and praying for them during their time of sorrow!
Something important to remember: don’t forget about those you helped for this activity. So many times our inclination is to help out once—and then go about life and forget. Follow-up is critical. Remember to call or write a second card, and most importantly, consistently keep those individuals in your prayers. The initial hurt or shock may have passed, but their pain still exists.
Up for Discussion
How did this activity help someone in his or her time of sadness? What was the response of those you asked to participate? What was the response of the recipient?
By asking for notes of condolence, people are working together as a group, showing their love for God and their concern for their neighbor. How does including others in an activity like this build fellowship? Why do you think God wants us to have fellowship?
When you contacted others about their involvement in this project, how were you able to use scripture or prayer as a tool? Why is this important? Read Heb. 10:24-25. Why do you think it’s important to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds”? Discuss the importance of encouraging others.
Read the account of Noah in Gen. 6—9. In chapter 6 we read,
The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD (vv. 6-8).
Noah and his wife, sons, and their wives were the only people on board the ark—and the only humans who survived the Great Flood. How do you think Noah and his family encouraged each other during this difficult time? Why do you think this encouragement was critical, especially during a time when so many of their friends and acquaintances would soon perish? How was the fellowship among Noah’s family members during their time on the ark? Was it comforting to each family member?
Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
—Heb. 10:24-25