JUST SAY YES: The Healing Power of Showing Up
There’s something we don’t talk about enough when it comes to helping people in crisis—showing up. Not with answers. Not with perfectly crafted solutions. Just showing up, being present, and allowing love to do the heavy lifting. I’ve learned this firsthand in some of the darkest places of my life and in the darkest places of the world.
There’s a poem I wrote that captures what I mean:
"You have to learn when to shut your mouth and open your arms. Love doesn’t need you to have all the answers; it just needs you to be there."
This isn’t just about words. It’s about what happens when we stop thinking we need to fix everything and just be there. When I was at my lowest, that’s what saved me—people who didn’t try to explain away the pain or minimize it. They showed up. They opened their arms and let me be broken without judgment, without answers, without expectation. They just were.
The Power of Presence in a Crisis
Whether it’s walking through a war zone delivering food or sitting with someone who’s lost everything in a natural disaster, the truth remains the same—presence heals more than words ever will. When people are lost in grief, trauma, or crisis, words can often sound hollow. There’s a time for words, sure. But in those raw moments of brokenness, what people need most is someone who’s willing to sit with them in the mess.
We’ve done this on the frontlines of war zones, in refugee camps, in the aftermath of hurricanes and floods, and in the hospitals where the only hope we could offer was our presence. We’ve sat in silence with grieving families, provided food and water to the starving, and brought medical supplies where there was none. But in all those situations, the real gift wasn’t the supplies we carried in—it was that we showed up when no one else could or would.
The Simple Act of Saying Yes
When I look back at the work If You Don’t Quit You Win has done over the years, from delivering food to an elderly woman in Ukraine’s war-torn villages to standing alongside hurricane victims who lost their homes, I see one common thread: we said yes.
We didn’t always know what we were getting into. We didn’t always have the perfect plan. But we said yes. And that’s what matters. Because healing starts with saying yes to the uncomfortable, yes to the brokenness, yes to the unknown. It’s not about waiting until you have the perfect words or the perfect supplies. It’s about being there—showing up in the moment of greatest need and offering your presence.
Think about it. When someone is drowning in grief, they don’t need a lecture on the stages of grief. They need someone who will sit with them in silence, hold their hand, and remind them they’re not alone. In war zones and refugee camps, the same is true. People need more than food and supplies—they need to know someone sees them, someone cares enough to stand with them in their pain.
Why Showing Up Changes Everything
When we show up, we are saying, "I see you, I care, and I’m here with you." That’s what changes everything. It’s not the food we bring, the medicine we deliver, or even the rescue missions we lead—although those things are critical. It’s the message behind the action. The message that says, "You’re not forgotten. You’re not abandoned. Someone cares enough to come for you."
That’s the heart of what we do. We’ve driven into active war zones not because we had all the answers, but because we knew our presence could make a difference. We’ve led evacuations and stood in the middle of disaster zones because just being there, just showing up, gives people hope. It says, “You matter.”
And sometimes that’s all someone needs to keep going—a reminder that they matter. That someone sees them. That someone is willing to walk into their pain, sit down, and be present.
The Healing Power of Arms, Not Words
In a world that is obsessed with solutions, it’s easy to forget the power of presence. But when people are hurting, they don’t need explanations—they need someone to walk through the pain with them. We’ve seen this time and time again, whether sitting with a family who just lost everything in a natural disaster, or holding the hand of a child who just crossed the border after being trafficked.
We didn’t have all the answers in those moments. We didn’t have a fix. But we had arms to hold them, and that was enough. Love doesn’t always need words. Sometimes it just needs you to shut your mouth and show up.
A Call to Action: Just Say Yes
I’m telling you this because there’s a world out there in desperate need of people who will show up. I’m not talking about people with perfect solutions. I’m talking about people who will say yes to being there. Yes to driving into the crisis. Yes to holding a hand in silence. Yes to walking into the mess when everyone else runs the other way.
You don’t have to have it all together to make a difference. You don’t have to have all the answers. Just say yes. Show up. Be the one who doesn’t run away when things get hard.
The people we’ve served didn’t need us to fix everything. They needed us to show up. Whether it was a refugee camp in the Middle East, a flooded town in Florida, or a woman trafficked across our southern border—they needed our presence more than they needed our words.
That’s the challenge. The next time you see someone in pain, in crisis, or struggling, resist the urge to fix it with words. Instead, show up. Be there. Open your arms and let love do the rest.
It’s not complicated. It’s not flashy. But it’s the most powerful thing you can do.
Just say yes.
Practical Steps for Saying Yes:
Be Present: Whether it’s with a friend, family member, or someone in crisis, show up and be present without needing to fill the silence with answers.
Offer What You Have: You don’t have to have the perfect plan. Sometimes, a bag of food or a listening ear is enough to bring hope.
Don’t Overthink It: Too often we let fear or uncertainty keep us from stepping into someone’s pain. Don’t overthink it. Just show up.
Walk Through the Mess: Be willing to sit with people in their pain, even when it’s uncomfortable. You don’t have to fix it. Just being there is enough.
Say Yes to the Unknown: You won’t always know what you’re walking into, but that’s okay. Trust that your presence can bring healing in ways you might not even see.
