Each Sunday on the Pure Purpose blog, I feature This Week’s 7, a simple list about an everyday topic, giving you ideas and encouragement. This week gives you simple ideas for helping others. Let these ideas be a springboard for you to be creative in coming up with your own ideas for meeting the needs of the people around you in need.

1. Offer to Shop. Picking up even the basics takes time. Give someone a break by helping her put together a grocery list and becoming her personal shopper for the day. You’ll likely be at the store anyway! Ask if brands, costs, or something else takes priority when shopping.
2. Prepare Freezer Meals. Delivering a hot meal is certainly appreciated, but consider delivering several meals that easily stack in the freezer and can be pulled, thawed, and enjoyed on particularly busy days.
3. Care for Children. Even the most loving parents need a break! Become a mommy’s helper for the day. The mom doesn’t even need to leave the house if she prefers. She might simply want get some everyday thing done around the house, go for a walk, or shut herself in her room for some study time, Facebook, or a much-needed wait.
4. Read. There are a lot of people who have difficulty reading for very long, but they love to hear stories. Read from God’s Word, a childhood favorite, or a much-awaited novel.
5. Rake and Plant. Do the gardening someone else can’t. Whether she doesn’t have time or isn’t a gifted gardener, she’ll likely still appreciate the beauty of your efforts!
6. Help Someone Serve. Help someone move beyond being served and step into serving others. Put together a bundle of cards and challenge someone to send them within a week. Share a plate of baked goods on a nice platter and challenge someone to refill it with her own baked goods and pass the platter on to another person. Encourage and equip others!
7. Write Your Story. This might sound selfish, but it’s not! There are people in your life now or following behind you who want to know more about you. Even if we share life verbally, it’s great to have the gift of written stories. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy. Jot notes, stories, and struggles in a notebook or create a document on your computer. Just be sure to regularly create a backup and share the location with someone!