By Kristen Entwistle

I’m pretty sure you have to live under a social media-less rock to not see all of the videos of the ALS ice bucket challenge in the past couple of weeks.  From national TV news anchors to celebrities, and to average people like you and me, everyone seems to be dumping buckets of ice on their heads and giving money to support ALS research.  And the people who aren’t dumping ice water on their heads are taking to social media to complain about the movement.  “Just give money,” they say.  “Quit wasting water and just give them money.”

I’d like to propose that that’s not the solution.  But neither is dumping ice water on your head.

To the complainers of the ALS ice bucket challenge: What problem has ever been solved by people just throwing money at it?  True, money to support research is absolutely necessary for every disease.  For goodness sake, I am paid to do research by federally- and nonprofit-funded sources.  I am not saying that money isn’t necessary to try to find a cure or better treatments for ALS.  But it shouldn’t end there.  And it shouldn’t end with just ALS.  There are hundreds of thousands of people suffering with many different diseases, some of which don’t even have a name.

To the completers of the ALS ice bucket challenge: Congratulations, you just dumped a bucket of ice water on your head.  But more than that, you just donated some money (I hope) to research for ALS.  More than that, you just raised awareness about ALS to people who may not have even heard of it.  But now that you have had your two minutes of Facebook fame, what are you going to do?  When you wake up tomorrow, are you going to even remember what ALS stands for?  Your 10 or 20 or 100 dollars may help to find a cure, or a new treatment.  You have told people about ALS.  But what’s missing?

I think that what is missing is support.  Not monetary support.  But emotional and physical support.  How about finding a friend who knows someone with ALS or another disease, and asking how you can help?  Maybe that means you drive them to a doctor’s visit.  Perhaps you pick up their medicines from the pharmacy when they can’t.  Maybe you bring their family dinner one night, because you can.  Maybe you commit to pray for that friend’s friend and family.  But support them.  Love them.  Pray for them.  Live life with them.  Learn from them – and let them learn from you.

So let’s not let this ice bucket challenge end with your 2 minute video on Facebook, or your re-posting of numerous articles bashing the ice bucket challenge, or just complaining about it in general, or your $10 donation: Let’s actually be the hands and feet of Christ to people who are hurting and suffering.

Go dump a bucket of ice water on your head.  Or don’t.  That’s your choice.  But go support your brothers and sisters.  There are plenty of great causes out there aside from medical research.  Find a passion and be the hands and feet of Christ to a broken world.  And then tell your friends so they can tell their friends.  But don’t do it because I said so.  Do it because it’s what we are called to do as we follow the example of Christ.