By Tanya Rad
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
—Romans 12:15 ESV
I was going through the worst breakup of my life. Sleepless nights, not eating, random crying outbursts at work. Everyone knew I was a mess, and it was obvious I was broken.
One day my coworker Patty showed up at the office with a necklace for me. It was a simple silver necklace with the word hope inscribed on it.
Up until this point, Patty and I had hardly exchanged pleasantries. We weren’t very warm to each other, as we hadn’t exactly gotten off on the right foot.
“What’s this?” I asked Patty as she gave me the necklace. “This belongs to you now,” she replied. She too had experienced a painful breakup in her past. She said my experience reminded her a lot of what she had gone through when her heart had been shattered. Someone gave her this necklace and told her to hold on and never give up hope.
Her beautiful, thoughtful gesture brought me to tears. I was touched by how this necklace had served its purpose in Patty’s life and now she wanted to give it to me, even though we weren’t close friends.
We finally “saw” each other that day. We shared stories. We exchanged words of encouragement. We became each other’s biggest cheerleaders, personally and professionally.
I believe God put Patty in my life for a special reason, and the way our friendship developed taught me a lesson I’ve kept in mind ever since: be someone else’s sunshine whenever you can.
A Ray of Sunshine
A simple gesture can leave a lasting impact on another person’s life. Being the light in someone’s darkest moment is one of the most important actions we can take.
When someone is going through a dark time, people often don’t know what to do, so they do nothing. Not because they don’t want to but because it may feel too vulnerable or they don’t want to overstep their bounds. The truth is, everybody wants to feel loved and noticed.
Empathy is one of the most beautiful things we can extend to another person. Empathy says I’m with you. When someone is going through heartbreak or divorce—I’m with you. When someone has lost a loved one—I’m with you. When someone has lost a job—I’m with you. When someone got the promotion of their dreams—I’m with you. When someone reached a goal they never imagined—I’m with you. Showing empathy meets someone right where they are, and that is what God calls us to do.
Ways to Encourage Others
You can be the sun shining through on someone’s cloudy day.
- Order them delivery from their favorite restaurant.
- Invite them to go for a walk.
- Write them a letter of encouragement.
- Do their chores for them—take out their garbage, walk their dogs, collect their mail.
- Go for a drive together and stop for a treat.
- Watch a funny movie with them and serve their favorite snacks.
- Put together a gift basket of their favorite things.
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Taken from The Sunshine Mind: 100 Days to Finding the Hope and Joy You Want by Tanya Rad and Raquelle Stevens. Click here to learn more about this book.
The Sunshine Mind is your guide to finding hope and joy in every day and embracing the beautiful person God made you to be.
As modern women living and working in LA and Hollywood, Tanya Rad and Raquelle Stevens know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed by trying to keep up, develop real relationships, pursue life passions, and hear from God at the same time.
Real, honest, and shared from personal experience, Tanya and Raquelle wrote The Sunshine Mind with today’s woman on their hearts. Each of the 100 inspiring readings offers faith, hope, strength, and peace to encourage you to become the beautiful person God made you to be.
Through short encouraging readings on how to become less obsessed with perfection, seek validation from God rather than others, see negative circumstances as new opportunities, and more, you’ll learn to:
- Respond with faith to the stress and anxiety that life brings
- Embrace the truth to help you handle the pressure to “measure up”
- Live free from worry in simple and practical ways
- Reflect on God’s plan for you and embrace his perfect love for you–just the way you are
- Share God’s love and joy with the people around you
Leave anxiety and stress behind, find a better way to conquer your struggles, and create a life of peace and joy with The Sunshine Mind.
“I hope that the courage, the unshaken hope, and the sunshiny joy of these two friends of mine rub off on you as you read these words they have shared.”
—Selena Gomez
Tanya Rad loves cohosting KIIS FM’s On Air with Ryan Seacrest, hosting iHeartRadio’s Top 40 show The Vibe, and creating community on her popular podcast, Scrubbing In.
Looking for More?
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