The previous post in this series shared five ways to encourage families with special needs kids. The ideas came from Lisa Copen’s book, Beyond Casseroles: 505 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend.
Further Beyond Casseroles
Here are five more tips from Lisa’s book, which you can adapt for families with chronically ill children:
- Ask your church youth group to come over and clean up the yard during seasonal changes.
- Don’t ask her, “How are you able to make it financially?” If she wants to share a burden she will.
- Don’t gossip about others. She’ll wonder what you say about her. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29).
- Send tapes of church services your friend misses to her with a copy of the bulletin and a note.
- If your friend misses a special event in your life, call and say, “I wondered if I could bring some photos over and share it with you. You’re very special to me, and you were part of this day whether you were there or not.”
Buy the Book at Rest Ministries
If you want more of Lisa’s ideas, you’ll find them at www.restministries.com. You can receive the first forty pages of the book free, just by signing up for Lisa’s weekly email newsletter. The entire book and several related products are available at the Comfort Zone Online Bookstore.
While you’re at www.restministries.com, browse around a little. Lisa has lots of resources for people with chronic illness and their caregivers. It’s worth your time to take a look.
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