~ I requested a free copy of Alongside by Sarah Beckman for the purpose of this review. This post contains affiliate links to help you find the products we use.
The older I get, the more I am learning about serving others in their greatest times of need. You would think it would be easy to come alongside someone who needs you, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes you feel awkward like you’re unsure of what to say, what you should do, or if you should even offer to do anything. This book is a field guide to anyone who has ever faced questions like these.
Let me know what I can do for you.
Oh, my goodness. I have said this so many times and known that the person I said it to wasn’t going to call me. I have also never called the well-intentioned friends who said it to me.
Chapter 6 is one of my favorite chapters in Alongside because Sarah shares how you can take on specific roles, jobs, or tasks that serve the person you care about and don’t just place another burden on their shoulder with the old “let me know” statement.
Alongside By Sarah Beckman:
Alongside provides a wealth of information for so many different types of situations you might find yourself in as the “neighbor” of a grieving and hurting world. If you have the heart for people who are in need, you NEED this book in your library. I will be returning to this book for reference as I serve my friends because it is full of valuable resources that I will continue to use as I serve my friends and family.
You’ll find so many useful resources in this book like:
- Determining your relationship and role in your “neighbors” life
- Specific tasks you can do to serve your neighbors during general hard times/trials
- Specific tasks you can do for people going through death of a loved one, cancer/long term illness, and divorce
- Tips for providing meals
- Gift ideas (these are especially creative and useful)
- Advice on what NOT to say/do (very helpful)
- Scripture for your reference to help you help others.
Sometimes it can be so hard to remember that it’s not about us, but throughout the book, Sarah is great at gently and lovingly reminding us of this great lesson. I think often God uses other people to teach us that our lives are not about us. We think everything is about us, but that’s not how Jesus lived. He lived an upside down life compared to us. Nothing was about Him, and everything was about loving God and serving others. This book hit me right on page 11 with a memory of a time when I made something about myself that shouldn’t have been.
I hope you will head over to Amazon today and grab a copy of Alongside so that you can love your neighbor in real, practical, potentially life-changing ways in their time of need!
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