Wednesday's Daily Devotion

Advent Conspiracy Daily Devotion
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
by Rebecca Motley, Director of Administration and Operations

Revelation 21:6 (NIV)
He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.

Along with coffee, my drink of choice is water. It takes me about 10 seconds to get up from my desk and get some water from the cooler in the office. I don’t even think about it, unless the cooler is empty and then I just tell someone and it is re-filled.

Women in Africa are responsible for gathering water for their families. One statistic from Living Water International (www.water.cc) is that rural women spend an average of 26% of their day trudging to and from a well which can be 5 or more miles away and is very likely polluted.

Because of the time this takes, the women are often unable to do household or other work to earn a better living. Young girls are expected to help with this chore and, as a result, often can’t attend school, depriving them of the education they need to better themselves. 4,900 children per day die in Africa from diseases caused by dirty water.

A $10 donation to help build a well in a village can save a child from disease, a mother from this time-consuming labor and a daughter from illiteracy.

As I mentioned, I am giving up my $2.16 latte special each week. This amounts to $112.32 each year. Or, in another view, 11 children saved. Easy decision. Don’t even have to think about it.

Dear God, please give me perspective and encourage me to share my resources. Amen.