It’s a crazy town full of neon dreams.. Everybody plays, everybody sings :) (Taken with Instagram at Downtown Nashville)
A person can live for about a month without food, but only about a week without water.
Reflection #1 - Why did you decide to participate in 40 Days of Water? Keep this reason in mind when you hit those difficult days and want to give up.
The first time I heard about 40 Days of Water last year, I instantly felt heartbroken for the people of Uganda. I started to imagine what it would be like to be afraid that the water I drink might kill me. Water is something we NEED to survive. It hit me that in the US, we think that iPhones are something we need to survive (guilty). Water is not even something we have to consider because it is just readily available wherever we go. Although I had never participated in lent before because I thought it was only a Catholic tradition, I decided to observe the tradition for the first time.
There is something about 40 Days of Water that gives it a meaning and relevance beyond just a legalistic tradition. Instead of just simply sacrificing something for 40 days, I am putting something in its place that will make a lasting impact. To me, the Gospel doesn’t focus on following rules to be saved. Every single word in the Gospel leads to one message: LOVE. That’s what this season has become for me. It is a season leading up to the celebration of the ultimate display of Love…Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. Yes, the sacrifice will require a lot of prayer and self-discipline, but it is also giving me an opportunity through which I can show my love to God by loving His people. These are the first and greatest commandments. I will grow spiritually through this 40 Days, just as I experienced a year ago, and lives will be saved in the process. I am excited to participate again.
Ok folks, so this day marks the beginning of this year’s 40 days of Water Season for Blood:Water Mission. This will be my second year participating, and I can’t say enough about how awesome of an experience it is. If you have been considering giving up something for Lent, I would highly recommend giving this a go. You only drink tap water for 40 days. You keep track on the website (and now the very handy mobile website) of all of the drinks you sacrifice and how much money you save each time. The money you would have spent on beverages, you donate at the end to Blood:Water Mission, and it will go toward building wells in Africa.
Participation in this really makes an impact because it only takes one dollar to provide clean drinking water to one African for an entire year. Safe water is something 328 million Africans lack, and it is something we really take advantage of in the US without truly considering how blessed we are. Drinking dirty water leads many people in Africa to die because of illnesses they obtain from bacteria in the water.
This is something I am really passionate about. I hope you will consider joining me or praying for the cause as I embark on my 40 day sacrifice. The blogs that follow for the next 40 days will be reflections of my 40 Days of Water journey this year. Blood:Water Mission has provided a journal and devotion to follow each day.
I encourage you to watch the video and become aware of the cause and consider what you can do to get involved. I love all of you!
In Christ,
Misty
Hi, I see that you are a senior at Anderson University. I was wondering if that was the one in South Carolina?
Nope! It’s the one in Indiana.
My Heart is Overwhelmed.
Lately I have been reminded of how insignificant I am in comparison to God’s magnificence, yet at the same time God has shown me how treasured I am and how intimately he cares for me. For some time my heart has been discontent, and I have felt guilty for this. I have felt that praying for what MY heart desired would be so petty in the grand scheme of things. Meanwhile, my heart was uncontrollably crying out these prayers to God.
What God has shown me is that no matter how petty I may think my heart’s desires are, He has heard my prayers and loves ME enough to answer them. Even with all of the brokenness in the world, all of the more pressing issues, God still listens to me. He has allowed me to have what my heart has wanted for so long. I often read and hear that nothing is too big for God, but what He has shown me also is that nothing is too SMALL for Him either. I am overwhelmed with the fact that even though He is all-powerful and all-knowing and created the fricken UNIVERSE, He cares for each one of us on an individual basis, more than we can even begin to fathom.
How can I not adore Him and desire to serve Him? He has overwhelmed my heart, and my heart is so happy.
