The Power of Assistive Behavior: Small Acts, Great Difference

Renee Button's "The Importance of Helping" is a gentle and uplifting reminder of how very much our actions truly do make a difference. It isn't a loud book, and it doesn't try to be large and raucous. Instead, it offers gentle stories and simple realities. Renee reminds us throughout her book that kindness does not have to be big to make a difference. Even the smallest act of kindness can profoundly change a person's life. Her book makes us realize the importance of care, giving, and being attentive to the needs of others.

Renee Button is talking straight from the heart on page one. She is not speaking with big words, but with meaningful words. She shares true tales from her own life—instances when others assisted her, as well as cases where she assisted others. Her tales celebrate the merit of helping unobtrusively. They remind everybody that we can assist each day, even on days when we think we have nothing to offer. Assistance can be as simple as a kind word, a hot meal, or simply being there for a person who feels alone.

I believe the most powerful message of this book is that assisting doesn't need perfection. You don't need to know it all. You don't need to fix it all. Being present sometimes is sufficient. Sometimes being there is the greatest thing you can do. Renee explains to us how others had assisted her in her times of sorrow, fear, and anxiety. There were no times of happiness, but they remained in her memory. They taught her that kindness is never wasted.

Renee Button also reminds us how busy the world is. We have no time to look around us. We don't say, "Who can I serve today?" This book is challenging us to slow down. It is reminding us to notice the little things. A neighbor has something to carry—a child who needs encouragement. A friend is hurting. These are a chance to serve. These are small things that have a significant impact.

Renee does not point fingers and lecture us about what she writes. She shares her story and invites us to look at our own. She shares with us the people who helped her, often the unremarkable ones. They did not do it for something in return. They did it because it was the right thing to do. That is what makes it so fascinating what they did. They did it because they loved.

The value of service is not only what we do for others, but what we do for ourselves. It transforms us, too. Renee shares with us how service helped her come alive, become more human, and be more alive to herself. She states that when we serve others, we're also serving ourselves. We feel needed. We feel seen. We feel connected to something greater than our problems. Serving others reminds us we are required, too.

Renee also states that helping is not always the same. It could be a smile. It could be sitting with someone who is crying. It could be as simple as providing food or a ride. It could be standing up for another when they are being mistreated. They are simple, yet powerful. They demonstrate love in action. They demonstrate that you care.

What is unique about The Importance of Helping is that it does not try to dazzle its readers. It simply states the facts as they are. The world would be a better place if there were more kindness; that's the truth. Every single person is battling something; that's the truth. The smallest act of helping someone can make one feel less alone; that's the truth.

Renee Button shares the stories of individuals who supported her on her worst days. One is about a woman who gave her a warm beverage when she was freezing. Another one is about a stranger who assisted her when her car broke down. These are not tales of cash or costly presents. These are tales of time, attention, and concern. These small things provided Renee the assistance that she needed when she needed it most.

As you read this book, you can start to reflect on the individuals in your life. You recall when someone did something for you. It might have been a teacher, a friend, a neighbor, or possibly a stranger. Whatever they did for you at the time might have been insignificant, but you recall it. That is what it means to leave a lasting impression. It remains with you. It still grows within you. It makes you the kind of person who also assists others.

We also learn from the book that we don't need to be perfect in our assistance. We don't assist since we don't know what to say or how to say it. But what Renee is instructing here is that we must try anyway. Good enough is trying. Good enough is caring, even if we mess it up and say something awful; that we cared is alright.

One of the chapters in the book is on help in times of need. In loss, horror, or pain, the tendency is to look away. But Renee guarantees that those are the times when help is needed the most. Even when we are helpless and in pain, we can still offer love. We can still be present. That is where our help can be of most use in someone's life.

Helping is also necessary because it can make the world a better place. When individuals help, love wins, faith triumphs, and peace prevails. Renee believes that every human being can be a helper. You don't need to be special. You need to care. You need to see if somebody is hurt. And when you do, you can do something tiny that brings a little light into their day.

Helping does not bring a single good deed. It reproduces. When one helps a person, they are also likely to help another. One heart shares kindness with another. Renee Button explains how it worked in her life. Others had helped her, and she had helped others in return. They also helped other people. That is how little turns into a lot.

When you've finished the book, something within you is changed. You're more receptive. You're more willing to lend a hand. Not because you've been guilt-tripped into it, but because you see how much it means. You see how it feels to care. You know that help doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be genuine.

The Value of Helping is a reminder of what matters most. Not a success. Not money. Not being an expert. What is required is compassion. What is important is taking the time for someone else. What is important is choosing to help, even when it will hurt.

Renee Button has authored a book that will remain with you long after you finish reading the final page. It will open your eyes to see the world in a different light. It will leave you hoping you are the one who comes. The one who comes with caring assistance. The one who sees and says, "I care."

There is no description for this book. It's a clarion. It's a summons to be slower, softer, gentler. A reminder that we can each bring light into someone's life. And when we do, that light just gets passed on. That is the highest definition of helping.