{"id":13963,"date":"2026-01-18T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/?p=13963"},"modified":"2025-12-10T07:04:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T12:04:17","slug":"practical-vs-emotional-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/2026\/01\/18\/practical-vs-emotional-support\/","title":{"rendered":"Practical vs. Emotional Support"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Two-minute read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Yesterday, I talked about weeping with those who mourn, using my spiritual mentor\u2019s son\u2019s accident as an example. The night Robbie died, my friend opened her house to his schoolmates. As kids gathered to mourn the tragic loss, I will never forget how one of the women in our Bible study practically supported our leader. When my friend came to the house, she brought bags full of paper plates, plastic utensils, napkins, and cups for those gathered to use. People brought dishes of food, drinks, and desserts to feed those gathered. The practicality of their actions taught me a lesson in showing love by our actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can show love for others by meeting their needs. Don\u2019t wait for people to tell you what they need; actively look for ways to support them. For the overworked mother, offer to babysit so she can have time for herself. When someone experiences an unexpected loss, make them a meal, take paper plates, clean their house. One of my favorite reels follows a guy who mows people\u2019s lawns for them. Driving around neighborhoods, when he sees an unkempt yard, he knocks on the door and asks if he can mow it for them. No one ever says no, and his act of kindness brings joy to the receiver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding ways to show love through your actions doesn\u2019t require extreme effort. Simply buying a friend a cup of coffee and listening to their day demonstrates affection. When Ron comes home from work, I always ask him, \u201cHow was your day?\u201d Because I love him, I want to know my husband’s joys and lows; to do so, I must ask. Small things have big impacts when we do them with love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Random Acts of Kindness, 40 Day Challenge<\/em>, ranks as my favorite devotional I wrote last year. Each day has something tangible people can do to spread kindness in the world, whether to those they know or strangers. Donating clothes, baking cookies for the neighbor, taking someone to lunch, writing an encouraging note, each day has a simple activity that can make someone\u2019s day. Accepting the unconditional love of Christ should motivate us to want to share His love with others. When we find ways to demonstrate affection, we bless the Savior and find refreshment for our souls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Love in deed, not just words. Find ways to show people you care. Blessing others blesses us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Journal Questions:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When have someone\u2019s actions shown you their love for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What small acts of love have had a significant impact on you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you actively share Christ\u2019s love today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friendship Application:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Find a way to show someone you love them today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two-minute read. Yesterday, I talked about weeping with those who mourn, using my spiritual mentor\u2019s son\u2019s accident as an example. The night Robbie died, my friend opened her house to his schoolmates. As kids gathered to mourn the tragic loss, I will never forget how one of the women in our Bible study practically supported… Continue reading Practical vs. Emotional Support<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13963"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13963\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13966,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13963\/revisions\/13966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}