On Monday, we heard about and then grieved the loss of life in Las Vegas. As of when I’m writing this, 59 people have died and 510 were injured. Of course, everyone there was affected. It’s hard to imagine.
There’s so much on my mind.
We can’t prevent every tragedy, but we can love well. So let’s let people know we care. We love. We like.
Make eye contact. Smile. Ask how they’re doing and care enough to listen to what they say. When people ask us, we can answer their questions.
We can offer comfort. Be present. We can listen. Sympathize. Empathize.
We can share. Talk. Ask. Tell stories.
We can see needs and help before being asked. We can let others help us.
Reach out. We can let others reach in to us.
We can look for the lonely and sit by them. Listen. Talk. Just be present.
We can comfort the hurting by listening. By offering support. Maybe by connecting them to those who can help.
We can “weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15b). We don’t need to question or analyze their tears. Just share them.
We can hug and smile.
We can ask “How can I help?” instead of “Can I help?” We can keep asking “How can I help?” until they let us.
We can be careful not to share verses like “The Lord is near to the broken-hearted” (Ps. 34:18a) unless we stay close, too. And let’s not share, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28) unless we welcome them to come to us, too.
Finally, in good times and bad, let’s be who we know we can be, and let’s do what we can do. {eoa}
Dr. Kathy Koch is the author of Screens & Teens: Connecting with Our Kids in A Wireless World.
This article originally appeared at drkathykoch.com.
