The challenge this week is to find additional service opportunities for you and for your family and to serve with a good attitude!
Service will be a huge benefit to your life as well as those you serve as well as your family members too. Your family will grow closer together as you serve. As we have served together, my family has seen less fighting with each other and definitely appreciate things a little more. Not to mention my kids are learning how to do hard things and how to work hard. Seriously, the more of us serve each other, the better our world will be.
“The greatest satisfaction in life comes from what we do for others.”
L. Tom Perry
Serve at home. This is probably the most important place for you to serve. Moms don’t get enough credit. I know that you make sacrifices as a mom. You do so much; clean, do laundry, chauffeur, change diapers, help with homework, make dinner (this list could go on and on!). We sometimes feel underappreciated. Serving more will actually help you feel more love, lift you, and help you feel greater joy. Here are some things I have tried.
- Visit a lonely neighbor.
- Take 5 extra minutes for each kid.
- Pray extra hard for someone.
- Think of something special to do for your spouse. Send an email or text saying you love them.
- Pay for someone’s groceries.
- Help take in a shopping cart.
- Take extra time to really listen to someone.
- Donate blood.
- Send a card.
- Find ways to help your parents or extended family. We have mowed Grandpa’s lawn, cleaned up their house, and are starting to make all of their memories digital.
Serve together as a family. I promise you will see your family grow closer as you turn the focus on helping others. It may take a few tries, but it really works! Here’s some more great ideas!
- Do Random Acts of Kindness.
- Make a Kindness Kit to put in your car.
- Donate old toys/clothes to a local thrift store! Bonus-you can organize your house while you sort!
- Make Chemo Care Kits to take to a local Oncology unit.
- Clean up trash at a neighborhood park. I’d recommend wearing gloves for this one. We’ve found some gross stuff doing this.
- Help clean up a sick/elderly neighbor’s yard-or shovel it if there is snow. We have done both and the kids love to do it in secret…just shovel and sneak away.
- Make a treat to take to a neighbor or loved one. Again, my kids love to doorbell ditch friendship baskets to neighbors.
- Make homeless bags. We put them in our car and the kids loved handing them out.
- Take treats to the local firehouse. My sister did this and they loved it!
- Help at a local food bank.
- We helped with a fundraiser for a local children’s hospital.
- Volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House. We’ve done this a few times. One time we watched movies and brought treats. Another time we cleaned.
Our ultimate example of love and service is our Savior. He truly did it all for us. As we serve others, we are really only serving Him. I like the thought that we are His hands here on the earth and that as we serve others, we are really doing what He would do if He were here. Treat others as He would and you will find His love grow in your heart!
Things that inspired me…