That’s not sacrifice …

This past weekend was sprinkled with some great conversations, one of which touched on the topic of sacrifice, something most of us think we’ve experienced, but few of us really have.

A friend mentioned the high level of difficulty experienced in getting children ready for church on any given Sunday morning. My friend alluded to that being a sacrifice on the part of parents.

That’s not sacrifice!

At least when we compare it to what Christ has done for us, just getting children ready for church doesn’t even land anywhere on the scale of true sacrifice. It might be a challenge, with some children it might be a struggle, but it by no means is a sacrifice.

That’s not to say some parents (and others) don’t know sacrifice. NBA player, Kevin Durant, earned the honor of MVP for the 2014 season. Durant, however, unabashedly proclaims that there is another person who better deserves the honor — his mother!

I don’t think you know what you did. You had my brother when you were 18 years old. Three years later I came out. The odds were stacked against you. Single parent with two boys by the time you were 21 years old.

Everybody told us we weren’t supposed to be here. We moved from apartment to apartment by ourselves. One of the best memories I have is when we moved into our first apartment. No bed, no furniture, and we just all sat in the living room and hugged each other because we thought we made it.

When something good happens to you, I don’t know about you guys, but I tend to look back to what brought me here. You woke me up in the middle of the night in the summer times. Making me run up a hill. Making me do push-ups. Screaming at me from the sidelines at my games at eight or nine years old.

We weren’t supposed to be here. You made us believe. You kept us off the street, put clothes on our backs, food on the table. When you didn’t eat, you made sure we ate. You went to sleep hungry. You sacrificed for us. You’re the real MVP.

It’s possible to know real sacrifice in this life, but before you pat yourself on the back too quickly for all you’ve given up for God or others, let’s understand that none of us will ever come close to the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for us, a sacrifice early church father, Augustine, described like this:

“Man’s maker was made man that He, Ruler of the stars, might nurse at His mother’s breast; that the Bread might hunger, the Fountain thirst, the Light sleep, the Way be tired on its journey; that Truth might be accused of false witnesses, the Teacher be beaten with whips, the Foundation be suspended on wood; that Strength might grow weak; that the Healer might be wounded; that Life might die.”

That, my friends, is the essence of sacrifice!

Following in the footsteps of Jesus, as His disciples we need to be willing to live a life of sacrifice for the cause of Christ. The writer of the book of Hebrews exhorts us to sacrifice in this manner:

“Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God,” Hebrews 13:15-16.

Have you ever offered praise, or have you done good and shared with others, to such a degree that it truly rises to the level of sacrifice?

Scotty