Podcast: Download

Subscribe: RSS

A cancer patient once said to me, “One of the awful things about cancer is that it consumes your whole life. My life is filled with thinking about cancer, trying various treatments, reading articles about cancer survivors, taking tests, worrying about cancer . . . on and on.” Cancer can consume your life, your whole schedule.

Here are three suggestions for ways to direct a person’s attention away from themselves and toward others — offered by those who have been on a cancer journey themselves.

1. Suggest a service project.

One cancer patient says, “Suggest that we work on a service project in the community. My problems seem minimized when I concentrate on another person’s need, and I am energized by ‘reaching out’ and helping someone else.”

2. Find projects that can be done at home.

Another woman (who was unable to leave her home) offered, “Invite me to participate in projects that can be done at home such as stuffing envelopes, folding programs, cutting/gluing projects.”

3. Give them people to pray for.

And all our churches should pay attention to this woman’s advice: “Give me a list of people to pray for. Praying for others does not take my pain away, but it does change my attitude toward it. By reminding myself that others are also suffering, I can better tolerate my situation. At the same time, helping others gives me some feelings of self-worth and purpose.”

So help those who are suffering direct their focus toward some worthwhile activities beyond themselves.

To download a free e-book on simple ways to care for the people in your life go to our post  titled 122+ Ways to Care Well.

Photo Credit: New York National Guard (http://bit.ly/21cYjgT)