Sacrifice

By John Moore, LCMHC

“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9.23 NIV

Recently I have been doing a good bit of thinking about the word “sacrifice”.  Sacrifice is especially meaningful in the Easter season, as our God offered his only begotten son as a sacrifice for the sins of human kind.  There is no need to sacrifice bulls, lambs and doves anymore, the ultimate lamb has paid the price.  Jesus was sacrificed and overcame death in a weekend. Wow. What a story! But what am I sacrificing for him? 

Immediately I think about Abraham. How in the world did he muster the strength to offer Isaac for a sacrifice, only to have him saved at the very last minute? There are countless Biblical characters who were called to make a sacrifice for their job, way of life and in the disciples case, their lives.  In layman’s terms, to sacrifice is to give up something that you really don’t want to give up.  

As Christians, our life of sacrifice begins the minute we accept Jesus into our hearts. At that moment, we begin a new life as a redeemed child of God. However, as we soon find out, life as a Christian takes effort.  Just as our relationships with our spouse, family and friends grow and mature over time, our relationship with God also grows.  In our relationship with God, we will enjoy seasons of epic victory, colossal failure, times of mediocrity, and seasons of change, all in the name of character development and growth.  Throughout life, God works within us to create a stronger, more effective witness to his love and grace. 

In my counseling practice, I often use the analogy of swimming upstream [life is not so great], swimming downstream [life is good], and treading water [being stuck]. Wherever you may be today in your spiritual journey always remember, “God loves you just the way you are, but too much to keep you that way!