Tuesday, October 4

Sacrifice

Sacrifice

...a word commonly used...in Christian vocabulary...in speaking of lives lost in the armed forces...in hopes that love will seem greater...words seem deeper...acts seem less selfless.

I wonder how many of my "selfless" acts could actually be recorded as sacrifice. I wonder how many times I have really given up "me" in order to specifically help another person or wholeheartedly serve God. Oh sure, a bit of discomfort seems to qualify for recognition. But how long should that discomfort last? And how far am I required to go?

My limited understanding has caused me to act as if a fulfilled requirement or a small dose of pain is enough.

This season that I am going through...causes me to take stock of what I have deemed right and good. I am not always going to be comfortable. Life is not always going to be easy. My friends and family are not going to be perfect.

Sometimes I will stand as a lifeline to someone else....if I so choose. But the scary question is...will I choose it? Will I get off of my couch, after a long day at work, when all my mind and body want to do is veg? Will I get off my couch and pray for a friend whose husband has left her and does not yet have the hope that God will help her through? Will I even answer her call late at night? I want to say YES. But I am finding, though, that it is a struggle...even in something so small as a phone call.

Even my attitude about school...am I willing to go every day? Knowing that my children will be less than perfect? Knowing that I will be given more expectations than I "feel" like I can handle? Knowing that for some reason God has placed me here?

What if I just turn my face and decide to live for God's purposes and not my own. What if I choose to say that my discomfort is worth it, if it means the discomfort of someone else will decrease? What if my discomfort leads someone to God?

1 comment:

83princess said...

I pray that I can live my life out that way!
Thanks for sharing this great post. It humbled me and made me rethink my motives for doing things.