When Jesus was on the earth, He did a lot of things to help other people. He didn’t brag about what He did. Sometimes He even asked people not to tell anyone. He didn’t do those things so people would say, “Wow! What a nice guy He is!” He did them just because He liked to help people and He knew Heavenly Father wanted Him to help.
Children can make people happy by helping.
You can be like Jesus by helping other people. Sometimes people will see you doing good things, but sometimes you can do those good things without anyone knowing you did them. There are some rules for being a good helper, though. Make sure you don’t do anything your parents wouldn’t allow you to do, like cooking without an adult around. Think carefully to make sure what you’re doing won’t cause any trouble for anyone. And help with your own supplies, not things you took from someone else without permission.
At first, when you’re getting into the helping habit, it can be fun to keep a top secret list of ways you helped. You might want to show it to your parents, but not to anyone else.
The best way to become a secret helper is to have special eyes. Anybody can have these special eyes. All you have to do is teach your eyes to notice all the fun little ways you can help somebody. Read these stories and see if you know what the child in the story should do.
- 1. Amber’s big sister is having a terrible Saturday. She has a basketball game and she is late because she forgot to set her alarm clock. She woke up late. Then she couldn’t find her uniform. She even spilled her orange juice on her socks! By the time she finally left, she was very unhappy. Amber would like to make her sister happy. Amber went upstairs and saw the door to her sister’s room was open. She noticed the bed was not made and there were pajamas on the floor. The nightstand was dusty. What things could Amber do to cheer her sister up?
2. Carlos lives next door to an older lady who lives all alone. Carlos notices that no one ever comes to visit her. He sometimes sees the lady sitting on her porch all alone, watching all the people go by. She looks very sad. What can Carlos do to make his neighbor happy?
3. Madison’s mother is very busy. She is trying to make dinner for the family but the baby is crying because she wants someone to play with her. What can Madison do to help her mother?
4. Spencer is at school. His class gets a new student. The boy doesn’t speak English and seems very scared. Spencer thinks it must be scary to be in a room full of people you can’t understand and to be new in school. How can he help the new boy?
5. Julia’s neighbor is on vacation. Julia notices the flowers in her neighbor’s garden are wilting a little. It has been very hot and the ground is dry. The flowers need some water. What could Julia do to help?
Now that you’ve thought of ways these children can be helpers, see if you can find ways to help in your very own family, school, and neighborhood. Take a walk around your house and see if there is anything that needs to be put away. Is there someone who needs a hug? Does a younger child need someone to play with?
Ask your parents to take you for a walk. Pick up trash you find as you walk and put it in a bag you bring with you. Smile at all the people you meet.
Find three people to compliment. That means to say something nice to them:
“Your dress is pretty.”
“You’re a really good reader.”
“Dinner was really good today. Thank you.”
How many ways can you be a helper?