Quarantine feels so weird, amiright? Every day feels like a new world right now. It’s like you have to relearn the basics from scratch! I know it’s kind of scary, but I honestly think we can use this time to reshape our minds in a GOOD way if we are intentional about it. I’ve been thinking… one of our main purposes in life is to love each other, right? But how can we do that if we’re stuck inside of our homes? So, I made a list! I hope that these ideas encourage you and help you to walk in your purpose even in this difficult season.
1. Love your family.
Or partner. Or roommates! Clean up the dishes – even someone else’s. Pick up a chore around the house to bless them. It’s definitely not easy, especially when you’re all stuck inside a confined quarantine space together, but this reminds me of a quote that says, “what if ministry is just loving the person directly in front of you?” When you’re feeling at the end of your rope, cry out to the Lord! He will help you to love your people well.
2. Call a friend.
Call your grandparents, an elderly friend, your extroverted friends, or anyone who you just think could use it. Don’t assume someone else is doing it! If you’re more introverted or phone calls aren’t really your thing, try getting creative! Send a text, a voice message, or FaceTime. There’s even an app I’m loving called Bunch where you can get on and play a mini game while Facetiming with your friends! There are so many ways to connect.
3. Celebrate people!
This is a time filled with so much disappointment with all of these cancellations happening, so if you know someone with a birthday or graduation or wedding coming up, reach out and celebrate them. Don’t let people get lost in the chaos – remember them in this time. Every time we make someone feel seen and loved, that’s a win!
4. Send letters!
If you don’t wanna connect as much digitally, or even if you do, send a fun letter! If nothing else, it’ll give you a creative digital break, and who doesn’t love receiving snail mail?! Especially when you’re stuck inside for quarantine! Here are some super cute and funny ones that were literally made for this LOL!
5. Meet your neighbors – in a creative way lol!
I personally only know some of my neighbors, and I’d love to meet the rest. Obviously I can’t meet them face to face so much right now, but I’m trying to think of a creative way! I was thinking of dropping off a batch of cookies and a card at their door. Is it sketchy to give a stranger baked goods these days? Lol! We’re all in this together, and maybe we can have some through the open window conversations lol!
6. Pray for others.
There are SO many people who need prayer right now! If we all just took like 5 minutes out of our day to pray for a certain group of people, imagine the power in that! A few groups that come to mind immediately:
- The sick, elderly and vulnerable
- Lonely and isolated people
- Graduates
- Churches
- Those who are in stuck in a not safe/abusive situation at home
7. Support local.
This is a more obvious one, but there’s seriously never been a more important time to support local businesses. The economy is whack right now and so many people are being laid off, and businesses are having to close their doors. If you’re in a position to help, I have a whole list of local Dallas restaurants that are still open for take-out, drive-thru, etc. Every coffee or taco counts (and tastes good too!!).
8. Love Your Coworkers.
Especially for those of us working from home, communication is key! And finding little ways to encourage each other throughout the day is so important. Support each other, build each other up, work as a team – all things hopefully your team already does, but going the extra mile could really make a difference.
9. Spend time with the Lord.
Honestly, the best thing we can do is to spend time with the Lord, because when we spend time with Him, we become more like Him, and He IS love! So we start to love others better as a direct result of being with Him.
There are still so many ways to love and serve others during quarantine, and since a lot of us have more time, maybe we can be even more intentional than usual! I know that everything feels kind of scary right now, but you are not alone – we are in this together.
This list is definitely not exhaustive! What are other ways you can think of to love others through this? I love you!
XOXO Dani