Sacrifice

    Recently, certain things have come to my attention. Like, how much people really do take for granted, or , just simple things that come about in life. Also, it is hard for people to realize how much we have. Until recently, I was one of these people, always looking at the negative, and never really trying to be positive. And if I did try, it was forced.
    It wasn’t until Lent came around this year that I started really thinking about these things. As a kid, I was always told I had to give something up at Lent. My dad, who didn’t really go to church, always gave up brussel sprouts because we never ate them anyways. This lead me to believe that you really didn’t have to give something up or that it wasn’t that important. Now, I’m not blaming my dad for my thoughts now, that is just the way he is, and I love him either way.
    Really thinking about the word sacrifice takes some time. Yeah, I might sacrifice a night out with friends to hang with my family, or sacrifice my phone for a fews hours during school. But really, sacrifice is so much bigger than that. I don’t want to just preach to the choir when I say Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice but ,He did.
    It is so hard to wrap my head around, and many others to that Jesus did actually die for us, for our sins, so we could have a better life. I feel like such an awful person when I really put that into perspective. Some days, I want to cry because i’m so stressed or because i’m so tired but when I take a step back to really look at things my life is beyond great. So are many others.
    A guy who I have become close with in the past semester recently got back from a trip to Cambodia. Before the trip, I saw him as outspoken, outgoing, media savvy, and just an all around guy who had many friends. Not to say that none of this changed, but upon his return I noticed a sort of humbling about him In class he quoted that the people of Cambodia are so happy with so little and this is something I struggle with everyday, and I know I’m not alone.
    If everyone really took that same step back and thought about how much is given to them, not just by others but by God. The sacrifice that He gave for us is so big, and we can’t even sacrifice a few hours for prayer, instead we watch TV or give the all around excuse that we are “getting around to it.” When in reality, we just aren’t making time for what is really important. I find myself struggling with this daily.
    I want to change the world. Change the way people feel about the world, how they feel about themselves, and how they feel about God, but I can’t do that alone. In fact, I rarely feel I can do it at all. Sacrifice is just what I want people to think about. When I talk to people about this, most of them don’t even realize they are taking such things for granted.
    By realizing how much I have, and how little time we have on this earth I have taken a new approach. I appreciate my family so much more, my friends, my teachers, my pets, my life in general and what and who has made me who I am today. Most importantly I appreciate how I got here and what is going to keep me going. I know God may no answer every prayer, but He answers the right ones. All it takes is a little sacrifice and knowing that little things do matter. What matters to you?