For 10 Days, I pledged to give up every drink other than water. For 10 Days, I thought about people in third world countries who don’t have easy access to clean water, who walk miles for dirty water, people who could only dream of having as easy of access to water like I do. For 10 Days, I resisted drinking coffee, Gatorade and milkshakes all to save money and donate it towards the 10 Days campaign.

What is 10 Days? 10 Days in a campaign in which people, mostly college students, pledge to drink only water for 10 Days. During this time, they team up, support each other and pray/worship Christ together. Learn more at www.10days.cc.

Now here’s my experience. The first day was absolutely horrible. I had two HUGE exams, work and I stayed up late that night studying. I woke up early, went to my professor’s office hours and was in dire need of a cup of coffee. I told him what I was doing, why I was so tired and how I was determined to make it. He encouraged me to push it off just one day, to go get a cup of coffee so I would be awake for my test. I refused, although he had my best interest in heart, I knew deep down that I am better than that. I went through that day craving coffee, a chocolate milk and whatever else I could think of. Yet, water bottle in hand, I kept reminding myself that the first day is the worst, that I can do this, that I’m doing this for all the right reasons. I sat down and prayed, prayed that the team at UD would grow to more than just me and my dear friend. I prayed that Christ would have his hand over us and watch over us. I knew that the first day would be the most difficult, but I definitely didn’t think that it would have been this difficult.

I went through the next few days and felt as if it was A LOT easier. I didn’t feel as tempted to drink coffee, juice or Gatorade -- I felt as if this was something that I could easily get through. Then came Sunday, the day that I knew meant I was getting closer to the end. All I craved was coffee, so instead I got a coffee flavored ice cream (it’s probably cheating but, who knows) Yet after I got over that bump, it was smooth sailing into Wednesday, the final day. That day, I knew I was so close to coffee I could almost taste it.

Through this journey, I noticed that I felt a lot more positive.It was easier to get up in the morning and my skin was definitely loving it. I was conscious of how much water I was taking in, I was able to analyze the true reason behind my headaches (dehydration most of the time), and I felt as if I was eating less. The only downside to it was that each morning, I woke up with dry lips due to the fact that I went eight hours without water. It allowed me to take time to meditate and think about how we can make the world a better place, even if it’s just one smile at a time. It encouraged me to go out of my comfort zone and speak to people about the water conditions in Rwanda (where the 10 Days focuses most of it’s energy). It allowed me to spread the gospel. I spoke to more people about Jesus during this time than I ever have in such a short period of time on campus.

So, as it goes without saying, “Giving It Up” definitely was one of the most important things that I have done this year. It was difficult, it tested me in ways I hadn’t been tested before, it taught me love and compassion and it showed me the love of Jesus in each and every day.

So I leave you with this, are you ready to take the challenge?