This is a selection from the full post published by Her View from Home on June 19, 2021.

“Over the past few years, I have learned that showing up for people is much simpler than I ever thought, yet means far more than I ever knew. Loved ones have shown me how much it means to have someone walk side by side with you through the overwhelming days, whether from afar or nearby. People who I had just met showed me what it looks like to extend genuine compassion and hospitality, even when I was essentially a stranger to them. 

I’ve seen just how possible it is to rally around someone who needs community. . .

To step into someone else’s pain, grief, or overwhelm is to love like Jesus loves. The kind of love that’s a verb, a concrete action, and not just a passive noun or a phrase that’s easy to say. 

Sometimes it’s big things people do that make us feel seen and loved. But a lot of times it’s the small things. . .

Actually, now that I think about it, “small things” isn’t the right phrase. Maybe I should say simple things. Because to the receiver, they don’t feel small at all. They feel like a lifeline. They feel like hope. They’re reminders that we’re not alone in the mess.

Your act of kindness may feel like it’s too simple, you may assume all of their other friends have already offered these things, or you may think they don’t really need what you’re offering.

But, friend, I cannot stress this enough. Make the offer. Send the text. Do the thing. Show up.”

Read the full article here.