Personal sacrifice
The concept of personal sacrifice is becoming somewhat of an oddity in today’s world. Modern culture wants instant gratification…everything right now. Delayed gratification is no longer a virtue, when packages arrive at the doorstep by the next day after only the click of a button. We get irritated when we are inconvenienced by someone else’s preferences or needs. The world revolves around me, right? Though personal sacrifice is not a lost art, perhaps just a less lauded one. Sacrifice continues to hold an important place in our world, if only to combat our innate self-centeredness. One doesn’t have to look very far to see the many quiet examples of personal sacrifice in our day:
The exhausted nurse or doctor that shows up to their next hospital shift to provide care for ill patients, even if they disagree with those patients’ medical choices.
The patient facing cancer that sacrifices feeling well in exchange for treatment side effects to give their family more time.
The soldier or civilian that risks his life to defend his country.
The priest or rabbi or monk or nun or layperson that fasts, and labors, and prays for the world at the cost of their own ambitions and comforts.
The parent that turns down a promotion or stays home to raise children, and the parent that takes the second job to support those same children.
The spouse that supports their husband or wife on a new venture, despite the risks and fear of uncertainty.
The politician that weathers personal attacks to try to improve their community.
The kid on the playground that risks a bloody nose and ridicule from his peers to stick up for a classmate that is being bullied.
The person of faith that faces ostracism for practicing their beliefs.
The man that endures torture and dies on the cross to redeem the world from sin.
Sacrifice reminds us that this world is not about us. That doing something for others, or even denying ourselves something that we want, can foster a state of mind that looks outward rather than inward. A state of being that focuses on the giving rather than the receiving. A grace-filled mindset that reminds us that we honor God and each other by working to diminish our innate human selfishness and help our brother or sister in need.
