Whatever you did for the one of the least of these….

Happy MONDAY! TGIM! QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ ~ Jesus from Matthew 25:40 THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: This week I participated in a challenge called the Matthew 25 challenge. Each day I was to do a minor task and think about the people in Africa who don’t have clean water, who don’t have enough to eat, and who don’t have a good place to sleep, and who have to wear the same clothes every day. It was a challenging and moving experience. Emily and I participated. Monday Day 1 – Well to be totally honest, day one we were supposed to skip our lunch, but my wife said that we needed to switch Day 1 with Day 3. So Day 3 was sleep on the floor. So on Monday I slept on the floor. This was uncomfortable and Emily and I did not sleep well. Thank God I have a comfortable bed. But even my floor was pretty nice compared to some conditions in the world. Tuesday Day 2 – Drink only water. You were allowed to eat whatever you wanted but could not have any coffee or soda or that kind of stuff. That was not a problem for me since I normally just drink water. So I got to drink a lot of water that day. It was nice clean water. I have water almost everywhere I go and everywhere I want. I can get water. I can stop in a store and buy some, some comes out of my tap, I have to walk to fill up my water bottle but it’s plentiful over here in the US and in Austin Texas. Wednesday – Day 3 – skip lunch and pray for kids who don’t have enough to eat. That was definitely challenging since I am used to eating whatever I want when I want to and hardly ever have to go without food. I was hungry. Emily skipped her after school snacks and was sad and hungry. She was also more emotional than normal. I thank God for all the abundant food that is all around me. Thursday – Day 4 – wear the same clothes as you did the day before. I worked from home on Thursday so this not really a big deal. I wore the same clothes. Emily wore the same shirt as the day before but changed her pants. I thank God for all the clothes I have. Friday – Day 5 – Write a letter to someone who is hurting. I just wrote a letter to my friend who is hurting. Done. Saturday – Day 6 – Do a 30 minute prayer walk. Well we kind of skipped that one. If you want to participate in the Matthew 25 challenge just text Matthew25 to 44888. In addition to the Matthew 25 challenge, I did the run for the water 10 mile race on Sunday which was great way to tie this all together. It combined my passion for running with a great cause. It was to raise money for people to have clean water in Burundi, Africa. On this Monday may you be thankful for what you have, listen to your inner voice, and celebrate the days you have been given here on earth. They are all a gift from God. AFFIRMATIONS OF THE DAY: 1) I thank God for providing me with opportunities to grow and to transform. 2) I am a stronger and wiser person because of my tests and challenges. 3) Better the pain, than to remain the same.

Run for the Water – 10 mile race with my brother-in-law Eric – Finishing pic