A Treasury of Encouragement Ideas

From Treasures of Encouragement: Women Helping Women in the Church by Sharon W. Betters (Phillipsburg, N.J., P & R Publishing, 1996) Appendix A

1. Write a note or letter telling someone what you particularly value about her or him.
2. Take a walk with a friend.
3. Go through old snapshots and choose a picture of a friend that brings back memories. Enlarge and frame the picture. Send it to your friend with a note reminding her of why the picture is special.
4. Plan a family project that serves someone else.
5. Send a note to your pastor. Tell why you appreciate his sermons or the worship service.
6. Ask your parents to tell your children about their childhood. Grandparents will feel appreciated.
7. Write a missionary regularly.
8. Write a letter to each family member telling each why you are glad he or she has been a part of your life. File the letters to be read with your will after your death.
9. Do yardwork for a shut in as a family project.
10. Call an old friend to see how she is.
11. Wash your teenager’s car and fill up the gas tank.
12. Take a friend out for breakfast. Invite someone who needs special attention.
13. Send someone flowers…just because.
14. Make a double recipe of cookies or soup. Freeze the extra batch to have available when a friend needs help.
15. Create a collage of memories using old and new photographs of a family member. Present it on a special occasion.
16. Make reservations at a hotel and surprise your spouse with an overnight getaway.
17. Bake cookies or fudge and mail it as a surprise gift to a long distance friend.
18. Call home and leave a loving message on the machine for your spouse.
19. Encourage family members by praying for them. Put each one’s name in a prayer basket. Pick a name each day and pray specifically for that person’s needs.
20. Surprise your spouse when he arrives home. Greet him at the door dressed up and have a candlelight dinner waiting.
21. Give coupons in lieu of purchased gifts. Coupons for free baby-sitting, grocery shopping, house cleaning, or car washing are a welcome treat.
22. Give a child a classic book. Take the child to a park once a week and read two chapters. Great idea for grandmothers.
23. Take an afternoon off from your work or your routine. Excuse your child from school—grades permitting—and take him or her to a ball game or a trip to a fire station, museum, or aquarium. Just have fun!
24. Take a family walk.
25. Give your husband and his friend a weekend away to a place of their choice (e.g. golfing, skiing, fishing).
26. Put together a jigsaw puzzle as a family.
27. Watch someone’s children on a Saturday so that she and her husband can spend the day together alone.
28. Give children or grandchildren an alternative to Saturday morning cartoons—breakfast at McDonald’s, games at a park, or a ride in the country.
29. Sit down with your child after school and ask questions like, “Who do you eat lunch with?” “What class do you enjoy the most?” “What did your teacher do today that made you laugh?” Listen to the answers and try to learn something new about your child.
30. Write a note of appreciation on a napkin before putting it in the lunchbag.
31. Tuck love notes into socks or bureau drawers of family members.
32. Send flowers to your husband (it’s okay to do that).
33. Take an elderly person shopping or out to lunch.
34. Clean house for someone who is ill; write someone who is alone.
35. Enclose Scripture verses or special bookmarks with your mail.
36. Pick someone other than a family member and pray for him or her all day.
37. Keep all Christmas cards, thank-you notes, birthday cards, etc. in a basket. At dinner time, pick a card and pray for that person or family.
38. Visit a nursing or retirement home with your children. Ask at the office for the name of someone who rarely receives visitors. Take your pet (get permission first) or a small gift. If you have a special talent, volunteer to perform.
39. Compile a family tree and give copies to your sisters, brothers, or cousins.
40. Make baked goods and invite a friend over for tea or coffee.
41. Say no to doing one thing a day for yourself and replace it with doing something for someone else. For example, give up an hour of TV and write a letter to your husband or call a friend.
42. Make time on Saturday evening to prepare your heart for Sunday worship. For example, turn off the lights and snuggle up on the sofa with your husband and listen to sacred music.
43. Make a list of people who have hurt your feelings. Ask God to search your heart for any bitterness. Replace your bitterness with kindness by doing something nice for everyone on the list.
44. Prepare extra salad or dessert for dinner. Take it to your sister, mother, sister-in-law, or friend. Just because you care.
45. Surprise your family with a picnic dinner and go to the park to eat.
46. Pack a basket of potato salad, sandwiches, fried chicken, and fruit for a family that’s moving.
47. Place a snack in the teacher’s room at your child’s school. Tuck in a thank you note with a verse of Scripture.
48. Deliver a bucket filled with cleaning supplies to a friend’s new house or apt. Stay and help clean if you can.
49. Ask a leader in the church ministry what his or her needs are—time, books, equipments, refreshments. As a family project, start a fund to purchase items.
50. Find a Scripture verse that describes a good quality of one of your friends. Send a copy of the verse to him or her along with a note of explanation and appreciation.