Sacrifice is a funny word to ponder when applying it to daily life. What do I sacrifice to do what I do? And when I say sacrifice, I mean truly sacrifice. According to the Oxford dictionary, sacrifice is "an act of slaughtering an animal or person or surrendering a possession
as an offering to God or to a divine or supernatural figure." There are a lot of little things that I suppose that I sacrificed temporarily when I moved to China. I have sacrificed a few friendships along the way, trying to keep up with as many people as possible but often falling very very short. I have sacrificed apartments that I loved, earthly possessions, familiarity, ease of getting certain foods, and more. Sure, these have all been tricky at times, even painful (that's the friendships, not food...), but most of these sacrifices can be restored at some point.
Then I start to think about actual things that I have given up. The years of lives that I've missed that cannot be reclaimed. I'll never be able to go to my cousin's daughter's 5th birthday party. It's done. I'll never get to go to my best friend from college's baby shower. A dear friends funeral that I couldn't attend can't and won't be replayed. Time passes and with it events, both big and small. You can look at pictures and try to imagine how it was, and although pictures are worth a thousand words most of the time, they don't quite cut it.
Why am I thinking about all of this? Well, a friend just posted a picture of her going to meet her boyfriend's parents. I'm used to seeing this kind of thing and the progression that follows (trips to meet the other side of the family, proposals, engagement photos, and then the inevitable wedding invitation in the mail, etc.), but for some reason this one is harder than most. Oh I know why...I'm officially the last one from our group that is single. And by single I mean very single. No prospects. No one on the horizon. Nada. I'm okay with being single (and I'm not just saying that), but seeing yet another friend switch into that next stage of life while I sink deeper in this current one is hard.
Singleness has been an act of sacrifice for me. I know that the Lord holds me in the palm of His hand and that His ways are oh so much better than my ways, but I can't help thinking of that "comfortable" life that I have sacrificed along the way.
And then for a bit of perspective, I think about Jesus. It is the season of Easter, after all.
He was a TCK, you know. He left His home to go somewhere totally foreign, where they really didn't get Him and some didn't try to. Then, on top of that first transition, His earthly family had to relocate to yet another country and stay a while. After 30 years of transitions and preparations, He ministered for 3 years and then was killed. Killed for an eternal purpose, but killed. Because He was different. He didn't quite fit in either, and He was okay with it.
If He can do it, I know that I can, too.
Besides, He understands how it feels.
And so, I readily sacrifice...whatever it and for however long this season lasts, I surrender all...
Then I start to think about actual things that I have given up. The years of lives that I've missed that cannot be reclaimed. I'll never be able to go to my cousin's daughter's 5th birthday party. It's done. I'll never get to go to my best friend from college's baby shower. A dear friends funeral that I couldn't attend can't and won't be replayed. Time passes and with it events, both big and small. You can look at pictures and try to imagine how it was, and although pictures are worth a thousand words most of the time, they don't quite cut it.
Why am I thinking about all of this? Well, a friend just posted a picture of her going to meet her boyfriend's parents. I'm used to seeing this kind of thing and the progression that follows (trips to meet the other side of the family, proposals, engagement photos, and then the inevitable wedding invitation in the mail, etc.), but for some reason this one is harder than most. Oh I know why...I'm officially the last one from our group that is single. And by single I mean very single. No prospects. No one on the horizon. Nada. I'm okay with being single (and I'm not just saying that), but seeing yet another friend switch into that next stage of life while I sink deeper in this current one is hard.
Singleness has been an act of sacrifice for me. I know that the Lord holds me in the palm of His hand and that His ways are oh so much better than my ways, but I can't help thinking of that "comfortable" life that I have sacrificed along the way.
And then for a bit of perspective, I think about Jesus. It is the season of Easter, after all.
He was a TCK, you know. He left His home to go somewhere totally foreign, where they really didn't get Him and some didn't try to. Then, on top of that first transition, His earthly family had to relocate to yet another country and stay a while. After 30 years of transitions and preparations, He ministered for 3 years and then was killed. Killed for an eternal purpose, but killed. Because He was different. He didn't quite fit in either, and He was okay with it.
If He can do it, I know that I can, too.
Besides, He understands how it feels.
And so, I readily sacrifice...whatever it and for however long this season lasts, I surrender all...
