Lately, the word “sacrifice” has been prominent in my thought-life. It’s a theme that has been showing up in more and more areas of my daily grind, and so I’ve allowed myself to really spend time thinking about what sacrifice means and what God wants to show me while wrestling with the topic.
Sacrifice I think has a ill-connotation with society today. The thought of losing something, especially if we find joy in it, is just not an option for many people. We have our “good” lives, and so when we’re asked about making sacrifices we run and hide from the notion. We’re afraid of losing what feels good here-and-now, without knowing what is awaiting us on the other side.
As a father, making sacrifices has been a reality of life, although it hasn’t always been easy to accept. More than ever, my time and energy has been consumed in ways that maybe I didn’t initially plan on them being spent on during my drive home from work. My financial goals are being sacrificed for diapers and formula. And the list goes on, but I’m learning to be okay with that.
As I have been reading in scripture, sacrifice isn’t about what we’re giving up, it’s about obedience. We often choose not see the opportunity to obey God when he’s the one asking us to give up something we’d like to control ourselves, but it’s what he’s truly asking us to do.
Reading in Genesis, I read the story of Abraham and Isaac:
22:1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.
No where in this passage is a hint of grumbling or fight from Abraham. His love for God was great, and so his first reaction was obedience, even after waiting so many years for Isaac (a child) in the first place. And he showed he was willing without knowing what was to come next. He was willing to sacrifice something he loved out of obedience.
As a father, I can not imagine being asked to sacrifice my son. However, in my heart I know that there are much smaller things that God is asking me to sacrifice in order to obey him through my love for him, that I grumble and fight him about daily. God might never ask me to give up a loved one, but the small things he does want me to give up are equally important.
What about you? What are the small things that you don’t want to lose, but know that God is calling you to lose?
Grace to you, Andy
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