“Follow
God’s example in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love for others,
following the example of Christ, who loved you and gave himself as a sacrifice
to take away your sins. And God was
pleased because the sacrifice was like sweet perfume to him.” Ephesians 5:1,2
Sacrifice. If someone were to offer me a penny for my
thoughts, I would say that my mind is currently preoccupied with that
word. My husband and I are preparing to
send our oldest off to college in a few short months. We have been looking at the financial aid
package he has been offered. He has
received some fine scholarships and grants.
However, we all know that college is an investment, and he will still
owe a considerable amount to the institution he has decided to attend. As parents, we want to provide him with what
help we can so he isn’t overwhelmed with the burden of debt after he earns his
degree. We have been talking a lot about
sacrifice. What can we give up? What expenses can we decrease or eliminate
from our budget? How much of our
paychecks can we afford to send to the college?
As
parents, we quickly learn about sacrifice.
We begin the parenting journey learning how to survive without a solid
good night’s sleep. As families grow,
we sacrifice cute little sporty cars for mini-vans. We sacrifice decorator show-room living rooms
as they get taken over by toys and other childish clutter. We sacrifice privacy in the bathroom when the
personal needs of small children must be dealt with immediately. Personal time disappears as we become
occupied with driving to team sports, activities, lessons, and play dates. We sacrifice our sanity when trying to reason
with toddlers and adolescents and also when helping with certain homework
assignments. You get the idea. We sacrifice…endlessly.
The
word sacrifice implies something that is difficult to do. It is giving up something for a higher
purpose – maybe a cause or a person we consider to be of higher value than that
which we relinquish. Sacrifice typically
isn’t pleasant, but it is an act that stems from love and honor. In the context of parenthood, we sacrifice on
a daily basis. We may not always do so perfectly
without grumbling and complaint. It’s
not easy to act selflessly, but we put our children’s needs before our own
because it is for their benefit.
Parenting
gives us a wonderful illustration of our relationship with our Creator. Our Heavenly Father sacrificed his son for
the benefit of his dear children. Out of
love for the Father, Christ gave the ultimate sacrifice –his life for our
redemption. We, as children of God, are
filled with loving gratitude. We learn
from and try to follow the example of Christ.
This means we give of ourselves, sacrificing for our children.
Dear
Father, help us to care for our children, not indulging them, but giving them
what they need. Please provide us with
the resources to do so, and help us to give joyfully of what we have been
given. Thank you for giving us the
richest of blessings through the sacrifice of your son.
