Sacrifice

Sacrifice is one of those things that looks good when someone else does it, but isn't as wonderful when it is something personal. We look at athletes who are able to slam dunk a basketball or hit a home run with one sweet swing and wish we could do the same. We see the incredibly talented musicians who seem to be able to play anything and pick up instruments easily. We see the results, but we ignore the sacrifice it takes to get there. The long hours of practicing the same things over and over, the things passed up so that they could concentrate on doing this one thing well, the frustrations involved as they learned.

We do the same thing in the Church. We see the person who goes on the mission trips and think how incredibly gifted they are. If only we could do something like that. We see the person who starts an outreach to their community and makes a huge impact. If only we were that talented and had their resources. Some things I might not be able to do (I don't think I will ever be able to slam dunk), but most things can be accomplished if I am willing to personally sacrifice. The problem isn't that we can't accomplish some incredible things in chasing after Jesus, the problem is we aren't willing to sacrifice anything for them. Well, at least not much that would make us uncomfortable. Wonder if we would still want to watch March Madness as much the next couple of weeks if the athletes didn't put in the effort and sacrifice they have over the years? Wonder what God thinks with the effort we put into His plan? What are you willing to sacrifice?