There was a time in biblical history that sacrifice was an actual ritual intended to honor God. Yet, over time, it became a task rather than out of love and God saw our hearts become hardened. Today we are still called to sacrifice, to let go of our selfish ways and be thankful for how God has blessed us for Him to continue to mold us in His image.
In contemplating this, I find it odd that we call it sacrifice to merely be grateful for the gift of Christ’s death for us to give us eternal life. A simple thank you throughout the day, a giving spirit, a generous heart. Really, these are sacrifices? So, someone gives me a gift and I say thank you and I’m sacrificing something? I don’t get it, but then I know it’s true.
We find this every day with children who take for granted the food on the table, clothes on their back, shelter that protects them. You never hear of them being grateful for these things; it becomes expected and ultimately demanded and criticized. We are all children of God and have the same spirit about us. God provides for our mere existence, breath in our lungs, sunshine, warmth, a planet to live on, resources to mine, companionship, and yes, food, clothing, shelter. We too, take this for granted and have come to expect it and judge it every day according to our liking.
Would it be or is it really that hard to say thank you? I guess in order to be grateful, I must acknowledge that these were and are gifts, and that I have nothing to do with them. If I’m truthful, I admit that they can be taken away. The sacrifice is tied to the inner battle of self. If I break it down to the most minute segment of time, to say thank you is a fraction of a second. So, it’s not the words or the time it takes to say them, it’s a matter of the heart leading up to the verbal appreciation. That is where the battle lies.
We don’t see it because we are so busy that it’s ignored or at best, added to a to-do list. Without the right heart, it’s no different than bringing live animals to the altar for sacrifice out of a resentful heart. God turns His back on these.
In today’s busy world, we must get quiet long enough to remember the things we are to be thankful for.
When doing this, we go from a hard heart to a joyful and grateful one. We then desire to say thanks to our God for we connect with His love for us. We become humbled by the wonder and amazement of God’s blessings in our life. We go from expecting to fear of losing them.
#JustAThought
