I often say this: you don’t need to have much to be a kind or generous person. You really don’t. If you have life, what many consider basic or even ordinary, you already have something to give. Kindness isn’t a fruit that ripens only when you hit your first million or land a comfortable place in life. It’s a character trait that starts growing in the tight spaces, when there’s barely enough, when all you have is barely holding you together.
If you can’t give out of little, you likely won’t give out of much. If you can’t pour yourself out when your cup is small, you’ll likely struggle to pour when it’s overflowing. And truthfully, there’s always something to give. Even when money is tight, even when the bank account is blinking low, you still have your time, your presence, your gift, your strength … .yourself. And that’s often the most valuable, irreplaceable gift you can give.
I remember when I had my first son. A dear friend of mine was visibly eager to give, to bless us in some way. But at the time, she wasn’t financially settled. She had so much going on, and still, she chose to give what she had.
Her gift was her precious time. Her help. Her presence. And it was one of the most precious gifts I received in that entire season. She came over and stayed with me for a whole month. One full month. Helping with chores, with the baby, with food, with simply being there, talking, laughing, holding space for me in one of the most overwhelming seasons of my life. I talk about it often because I’ll never forget it. Kindness doesn’t start with abundance, it begins with the willingness to give what you do have. And everyone has something.
Sometimes people think only grand gestures matter, but it’s the small, consistent, sacrificial ones that often carry the deepest weight.
Give What You have
For many women, especially once children come, our love languages change. Words of affirmation and gifts are still lovely, but in the heat of motherhood? Acts of service and quality time start to feel like the real MVPs.
Sometimes all a new mum needs is just a few minutes to breathe. A few quiet moments to recharge. When you haven’t slept well, and there’s this cute little ‘handbag’ with hands, mouth that won’t stop talking or crying! and feet following you everywhere, even into the bathroom, you’ll understand what I mean. Mamas, I See You….😅
When every moment feels hijacked and you just need ten minutes to breathe, to hear your own thoughts, to remember your name… that’s when help feels like love. Life with our little ones can be so fast-paced and loud that it’s no wonder many women feel like they’re losing themselves in the shuffle
Can you imagine offering your time and help to such women? it’s more precious than gold at that moment.
The Shunammite Woman: A Parenting Masterclass Hidden in Plain Sight
She was one of those rare people who, despite having a private heartache, a long-standing battle with childlessness was not too consumed by her pain to notice the needs of others. Many people in seasons of waiting curl inwards, shrinking under the weight of unmet desires.
She could have curled inwards, closed her doors and heart, but instead, she opened her home. She offered what she had. She noticed the prophet. She perceived he was a holy man. She made room for him. I don’t think it was the first time she made room for someone in need.
Literally….. She created a space for God in her home before she ever held a child in her arms. Her hospitality literally brought about the miracle she longed for. That’s one of the most powerful parenting lessons I ever saw.
She reminds us: Don’t let your waiting stop your giving. Because sometimes, it’s in giving that the door to receiving swings open. Her hospitality unlocked something in the spirit and her miracle child was born.
Parenting Begins Before You Have Children
Many people think parenting starts when you have your first child. No, it starts with who you’re becoming long before the baby comes. Your values. Your sacrifices. Your sensitivity to God and others.
Imagine the son of the Shunammite woman, growing up in a home where honour and service weren’t just taught, they were lived. I can imagine him watching his mother time after time take care of the prophet. She probably sent him to take some water upstairs or asked him to check if Elisha needed anything.
I imagine her preparing the guest room and him asking “mommy, who is coming to visit?” and she goes: Remember the Man of God, Prophet Elisha? he’s coming; we want to honour him and make his stay comfortable.”
These are the moments that train children far more than a hundred sermons will. When they see you live it out. Kindness very often is not just taught, it is caught. When they see you love people not for reward, not for show, but because it’s who you are. That kind of consistent example trains children better than a thousand sermons ever could. The Shunammite woman taught her son:
- Hospitality not just to friends but to God’s servants.
- Honour not just with words but with actions.
- Responsibility by watching his mother serve Elisha and likely other guests warmly and faithfully.
We want children of character, but do they see character in us? Do they see consistency, sacrifice, calm, faith, honour, not just hear about them?
She Showed Emotional Mastery in Crisis
There is even more up this woman’s sleeves. When her son died, she didn’t make a scene. That would’ve been understandable. Who can comfort a woman who just lost her only child? But instead of collapsing, she rode out to find Elisha. Instead of panicking, she proclaimed, “It is well.”
It wasn’t denial. It was defiance. Against fear. Against despair. Against hopelessness. She chose faith over frenzy.
Parents, emotional stability is not just for you, it’s a gift to your children. They need to see you steady, even when life shakes. They draw safety from your calm. She teaches us emotional intelligence isn’t burying feelings, it’s yielding them to faith. It’s knowing where to go first. She didn’t run to everyone screaming. She ran to the prophet. She went back to the source of the promise.
We often rush to post online or call a dozen people before we sit still before God. But discernment is knowing where to run first. When your child’s health falters. When money runs low. When the future looks bleak, go to God first.
Faith Moves: Don’t Just Wait, Act
She saddled the donkey herself and told her servant, “Don’t slacken the pace unless I tell you.” That’s a woman on a mission. A woman who believes, prays, and moves. This is how parenting works. You trust God and you also rise up. You ask. You act. You move with conviction. She didn’t accept death as final. She didn’t let grief freeze her. She went back to where the promise began. Back to Elisha. Back to God.
And what happened?
Her son came back to life!
Not metaphorically. Not symbolically.
Literally. The boy who had died lived again.
Because his mother refused to surrender to fear.
Because she knew Who to run to.
Because she stayed calm, moved with faith, and didn’t stop until restoration came.
Let Your Life Preach Louder Than Your Voice
The Shunammite woman wasn’t perfect. But she was discerning, generous, grounded, and deeply spiritual. She teaches us that parenting is not just about providing food, clothes, and school fees. It’s about discipling hearts, by the way we live, give, speak, and stay grounded through storms. Her life was a sermon. Let’s be the kind of parents whose lives do the preaching and whose faith births miracles, both big and small.
The world may never know her name, but God does. And today, not only do we read about her, we celebrate her.
