The Art of Sacrifice

One day I was thinking about friendships. A good friend of mine and I were discussing the different qualities good friends and this got me thinking about myself. I started to wonder if I had those qualities and if I was exhibiting them. See one of the qualities I said that all really good friends have is the willingness to sacrifice themselves for the other person.

Now I don't mean that best friends must sacrifice their life for the other if need be, but the sacrifice of time, convenience, and comfort is exhibited by best friends. If you think about it the ultimate expression of love or caring for another is the art of sacrifice.

The art of sacrifice is an interesting thing because its really quite against our nature. We would rather live comfortably and for ourselves, why would we take on someone else's problems? As part of the fallen world and offspring of Adam it is not natural for us to deny ourselves, but to live with a selfishness. The art of sacrifice is really an act of selflessness and love.

Jesus Christ came to earth to sacrifice Himself for those He loved before they ever loved Him. Even though His immense love for His creation brought an extreme expression of love through sacrifice, Christ pleaded that the cup would be taken from Him. It wasn't easy to go through the pain, the suffering, or death.

Sacrifice isn't easy, that the very reason that its is a sacrifice. If to sacrifice your time, your comfort, or maybe even your life was easy or not really a big deal, would that be sacrifice? I think not.

Another great example of the necessity of sacrifice in any full and true relationship is in marriage. In marriage its not about you, its not about what the other person can do for you, but what you can offer and do for them. When you commit to living with someone for the rest of your life you have got to make a lot of sacrifices. Your sacrificing your abilities, your time, your comfort, and well pretty much everything for the sake of an amazing and beautiful relationship with an amazing person.

To try and put some sort of conclusion to the art of sacrifice the question I ask myself and you is; Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for your best friend. Do you love that person so much that will put their desires above yours? The profound art of sacrifice is, giving up so that you can then give.