3 Ways To Help The Hurting This Thanksgiving Season

What are your Thanksgiving plans? Will you be traveling to visit loved ones? Will you be hosting this year?

This is an exciting time of year for most, but for others it can be rather difficult. For those going through tough times, the holidays can make their struggles that much harder. We serve a Savior who never sat idly by as people were hurting. Instead, Jesus stepped into people’s pain, no matter how messy; and He calls us to do the same. The Bible is full of verses instructing us to reach out and help one another:

• “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” – Galations 6:2
• “And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.” – Hebrews 13:16
• “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them.” – Proverbs 3:27

So what can we do this holiday season to show the love of Christ to those in need? Below are three ideas that we can easily pray over and implement into our busy holiday schedules:

Write a letter:

Letters are a thoughtful and touching way to let someone know you care. In this digital age, it’s rare to receive a hand-written, heartfelt card or letter, but it has the ability to make a person’s day. Maybe there’s someone in your life that you know is walking through a dark time. Why not sit down and write a letter reminding them of how much they mean to you and how important they are to God? For a person struggling, this could bring light and love to their holiday season.

Plan a visit:

Not everyone will have a Thanksgiving table full of friends and family. For some people it might just be themselves. Loneliness is always tough, but it can feel even more isolating around the holidays, so planning a visit to someone who might need some company can be the perfect way to help. Who can you reach out to and visit?

Donate food:

Food scarcity is a huge problem, even though we may not always see its effects. Pantries need our help, especially around this time of year, to provide meals and supplies to those who are facing tough times. On November 21st and November 30th, BRIGHT-FM is partnering with Rosedale Baptist church to help collect food for local pantries through the Pantry Project. Are you able to donate? If so, would you put together a donation box and bring it to one of the locations below?

Monday, November 12th from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. in Wye Mills, Maryland

Tuesday, November 14th from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. in Glyndon, Maryland

This is a great way to help ensure families won’t go hungry during the holidays, and we’d love to see you at either one of these two events. For more information and location details, visit our event page or check out any of the links above.

These are just a few ways to be a helping hand during this season, and we hope these ideas can be a blessing to you and those around you! If you yourself are having a hard time and find yourself dreading the holidays, we want to remind you that God loves you more than you can imagine (Ephesians 3:18) and He promises to provide (Philippians 4:19) and fight on your behalf (Exodus 14:14).