Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)
If you have been reading my “daily bread” for a while, there are some things that you already know about me.
You know that I am passionate about cats.
You know that I love my motorcycle.
You know that I am a member of the Christian Motorcyclist’s Association and that I take fundraising very seriously.
You know that for the past seven years I have gone to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
Now here is something that unless you are a rally-goer or a close friend of mine that you may not know.
There is a little boy that lives just outside of Sturgis, he decided in 2019 that he wanted to earn money to buy LEGOs.
[So you are aware, I have permission from his mother to share this story and his photo.]
I am sure I am going to get a few of the details wrong, but the little guy decided to set up a stand outside the rally and offer lemonade for donations.
He received enough money that first year to buy the LEGO set, but also make a nice donation to a charity and put some away for college.
He wanted to support a charity that made a difference in the lives of children, so he chose St. Jude’s Children’s Hospitals.
Are you ready for tears?
In FIVE years, this eleven-year-old boy has raised $101,614 for St Jude’s.
He not only supports St Jude’s but other kids’ charities as well.
He has collected pop tabs for one kid, yards of fabric to donate to a little girl in Nebraska who makes 15”x15” encouragement pillows, toy drives at Christmas, - this little boy’s heart is huge.
Grab a tissue, there is more to this story.
He joined the cross-country team at his school this year, and just like his lemonade stand he is giving it all he’s got.
Friday his mom posted this on the social media group they set up so his family of 8,000 supporters can keep up with all the good he does:
Wyatt asked to stick around and cheer on the 7/8 grade boys and girls. At the end of the 7/8 grade boys’ race one of his teammates was one of the last 2 to come in. All the athletes started cheering for the last 2. And the athlete from Wyatt’s school got in front. And the kid who was now last quit and started walking. Wyatt looked back at me and said “mom, I’m going to go pace with him….” And off he went. Wyatt got right along side the fence with this kid and started encouraging him. He doesn’t know that kid. He may never see that kid again. But you know what happened? The kid started running again and finished the race strong side by side with Wyatt.
Sometimes we all need someone to come run along side us and help us keep going, don’t we? It shouldn’t matter if you know them or not. You may just be able to turn someone’s day around by cheering them on. As the two kiddos gave each other knucks and we headed to the car it was hard to not cry.
Y’all.
Wyatt is eleven years old, yet he is the epitome of today’s verse.
In a letter written to the church in Thessalonia two thousand years ago, the apostle Paul told the Christ followers there to encourage one another.
And on another continent in another century there is an eleven-year-old boy who encourages people he doesn’t even know.
We need to do better.
We need to learn from this little child who will lead us.
If you want to donate to Wyatt, Google “Wyatt’s Lemonade” it will take you straight to his page.
I don’t know what his 2025 goal is, but you can bet, I’m going to try to help him meet it.
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