Practical Acts of Love

The month devoted to Service has this vow: “In a world that idolizes power, individualism, and ego we’ll demonstrate Christ’s way of serving through practical acts of love.”

What I like about this vow is that it avoids abstract language. How do we demonstrate Christ’s way of serving? Through practical acts of love. The word “practical” makes these acts doable. I bet, right now, if you stopped and gave it ten minutes’ thought, you could make a list of actions you could do today for people in your immediate circle, actions that would be kind.

• You could extend a “let’s hang out” invitation–with a specific day and time, not just a nebulous “sometime”–to a friend who has been having a rough week.
• You could write an email to someone coping with an illness–their own, or someone else’s–to let them know you are thinking of them.
• You could check in on someone who has had a death in the family. This is especially good if this will be their first holiday season without the person who died. Consider checking in, also, on those mourning the loss of a relationship–a divorce or separation–and on those who are longing for family.
• You could offer to babysit for a single parent, or for a couple who could use a date night.
• You could call your mom. She always likes that.

When we think of service, we often think of those “in need” as though that were a special category of persons, forgetting that everyone is in need, one way or another. And while I will not dissuade you from paying particular attention to the most vulnerable–to those experiencing homelessness, to those in prison, to the mentally ill–remember service can be done close to home, or at home, too.

And keep your service practical. If you put something on your list that you can’t in fact do, take it off your list. If you don’t perform every item on your list, then maybe your list was too long. Do what you can.

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