El Paso Challenge

After the El Paso shooting, Ruben Martinez challenged others in his community to remember the victims with acts of kindness. What an amazing challenge, but the thing that makes it more interesting is that Ruben is only eleven years old.

This child is daring us to honor the victims. At first the challenge was to do twenty acts of kindness. It's risen to twenty-two acts of kindness today. These are not random acts of kindness. I feel like we are to be intentional in performing these acts.

If you need help coming up with ideas, Ruben has some to share. Mow a yard, visit a nursing home, pay for someone's lunch or dinner, donating for families in need, taking flowers to the hospital, or writing a letter to someone telling them how great they are.

If we perform twenty-two acts of kindness, I think we'll want to keep performing acts of kindness. Wouldn't it be great if Ruben's challenge made the world a better place?

I know nothing about Ruben's faith, but I do know he's a child. A child of God. He's important to God, his family, me, and the world.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Matthew 18:1-5

People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
Luke 18:15-17