…and change a few lives.
Every year for the past six years I’ve had the privilege of inviting friends, family and neighbors to join me on a journey through the season of Lent. As part of that journey, we’ve generally partnered with Blood:Water to ensure our Lenten practice made a difference in the lives of others.
Last year, we raised just over $1500. This year, I’ve set the bar at $1000,.. but I’d like to do it in just 20 days. Doing that will mean being a bit for focused that I have been in recent years and it will also mean inviting more friends to join me. Are you into it?
HERE’s MY PLAN:
Every day, between March 1st and March 21st I will…
1. Skip at least one beverage of choice (morning coffee, evening beer/bourbon, etc…)
…and then…
2. Give the money I’d have otherwise spent on that beverage to supporting the work of Blood:Water.
TWO NOTES:
- First, this isn’t just a matter of practicality and impact for me. Sure, I love that the small sacrifices I make in skipping drinks will mean someone else can have access to water. At the same time, this is a matter of personal / spiritual formation. At the heart of my religious tradition is the belief that suffering and death can be gateways to new, better and richer life. In the discipline of fasting, particularly on behalf of others, I learn to see myself differently and live more completely. I hope and expect the same will be true for you.
- Second, after almost 15 years publicly advocating for undeserved and underprivileged people, I’ve come to recognize “compassion fatigue” as a legitimate pattern and obstacle. I get it. It can be easy to feel like “I’ve done this already” and leave the on-going work to others who may be more committed. The thing is…, those folks are often thinking and feeling the same thing; that they’ve “done it already” and hope others will keep up the pace.
And that’s how we end up losing the long-game.
One thing I’ve come to believe about evil/darkness is that, more than anything else, it counts on you and I quitting at some point.
So, let’s not.
Let’s stay committed to the transformative works we’ve given ourselves to… committed when the statistics plateau, committed through the boredom, committed through the seasons when we just don’t feel it anymore or when it hurts… Because that kind of committed work, over the long-haul forms and transforms us into the kinds of people who make a lasting difference.