Continue to include her in your life
Your friend may already feel isolated and alone because of her situation. One of the worst things you can do is to stop including her in your life. Yes, your friend’s life may be drastically different now, but she still desires friends and people in her life who care about her. Continue to invite her & her child to play dates, parties, etc. Don’t pry or get offended if she never comes. Being the only mom present with a child who has special needs is more difficult than you can imagine. However, it’s even harder when you stop getting invited. So, keep that door open and let her decide whether she will walk through it or not. If it’s just too difficult for her to bring her child out, you can plan a Mom’s Night Out – she’ll love & need a break!
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I hope this series has been a help to someone. I realize that the mom you are trying to help may not even be a believer. All these tips can still apply. However, the best way you can help her is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with her. The only way that she can truly be completely helped in this situation is by the true Helper (John 14:15-17). As you desire to comfort your friend be sure to introduce her to the God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3-5). His grace will ALWAYS be sufficient (2 Cor. 12:9-10)!
A friend loves at all times.
Proverbs 17:17a
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(Read the previous posts in this series.)
2 comments:
I absolutely LOVE this series. I think that you have such a gift in writing and in touching the heart of the issue in more ways that one. What a blessing this has been to me!
Dear Caryn,
Thank you for these helpful and personal glimpses of grief, grief care and beyond. I so know what you mean when you talked about the death of a dream in a previous post. Though grief is complicated and parenting children w/ special needs is complicated, showing the love of Christ transends complication and sensitive issues. (Anyway, it should!)
In Him,
Laurie
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