Outlandish Measures – In Response To The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

What cause is close to your heart?

What extreme, outlandish measures would you take if it helped draw attention to your cause?

Better yet, to what extremes would you go to find a cure for your cause?

If you’ve been anywhere near social media the past couple of weeks, you’ve seen or heard of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.  If you haven’t heard of it, stay with me.  Basically, people are challenging people to dump a bucket of cold ice water on their head or to donate $100 to the ALS Association to help raise awareness and work towards a cure for ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).

As I have watched this unfold, it seemed a little crazy and maybe a little outlandish.  How could dumping a bucket of cold ice water on your head really help.  Besides it seems like a waste.  Think of all that ice and water just being dumped on the ground.  After all, there are so many in other countries who don’t have clean water, and they certainly don’t have ice, and we Americans are dumping on our heads by the gallons.

And then I was nominated to take the challenge.  I’ll admit I wasn’t all that thrilled at first.  But I’m not one to be a spoil sport.  If I was going to participate in this “silly” ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, I was determined to learn a little bit more about ALS.  Bo Stern wrote an excellent article on her blog about what her husband experiences every day as a result of his ALS.  I think it’s worth checking out – click here.

If you had a family member who suffered from ALS, I’m guessing you would go to any extreme to help raise awareness and to help find a cure.

I feel the same way about a few causes.  For example, I would dump an ocean on my head if it led to a cure and a more healthy awareness for mental health and mental health issues.  I would also do some crazy things to help the widows and orphans in Guatemala.

I’m guessing you would go to pretty crazy measures to get positive attention for the causes that are closest to your heart.

This is great!  Go for it!  Use social media.  Take extremely outlandish steps.  Put your God-given creative mind to use to raise the flag for your cause.

When it comes to extreme measures, we have no greater example than Christ.  He exited the comfort confines of heaven, and came to Earth for you and for me.  He willingly died on a cross, so we could have the opportunity for eternal life with Him in heaven.  This doesn’t make sense.  In fact, it may make less sense than dumping a bucket of cold ice water on your head for ALS.  But this is what Christ did for you.

I am thankful for a God would take this extreme, outlandish measure just for me.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:8

What cause is close to your heart?

What extreme, outlandish measures would you take if it helped draw attention to your cause?

Better yet, to what extremes would you go to find a cure for your cause?

By the way, here’s the video of me participating in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge: