The Ministry Of Meals

The Ministry of Meals

These three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13, NIV

I would consider myself to be a mediocre cook at best. I try to add new recipes to my repertoire, and my family seems happy enough with our daily fare, but spaghetti and tacos still seem to make the rounds at our house at least once a week.

Yet one of the consistent needs that arises in our church is for meals. Meals for parents with new babies, meals for someone who underwent surgery and is recovering, meals for those who are bereaved or struggling to cope with a medical diagnosis. Providing food is an easy way to show that we value love above all else. So during our year of kindness, I found myself making a lot of meals to drop off at others’ homes. Thirteen, to be exact. Of those, four of them were in a two-week time span!

Meals are such a practical, tangible way to help, but sharing them with others doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Find what works for you. I keep it simple by having a couple of go-to meals that I make for these situations. Another great option is to double a meal that you were already planning to make for your family, then freeze it until it’s needed. Are you not a cook at all? No problem. Order a pizza or have sandwiches delivered from a local restaurant.

Providing a meal doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does make an impact. I can still tell you the names of each of the families who took the time to bring us meals after my husband’s neck surgery and after the births of our three children. In our times of need, their simple kindness resonated long after the table was cleared and the dishes were washed. Genuine kindness is not about doing grand gestures; rather, as Mother Teresa expressed, it is all about doing “small things with great love.”

—Kristin

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Think of someone who could use a meal, then schedule a day to bring it to them within the next week.