"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."--Romans 12:1-2
After the last post, there were several comments surrounding the idea of sacrifice. Honestly, that was not the intended focus of that blog entry, but some really great comments came as a result. Webster's defines sacrifice "to give up, destroy, permit injury to, or forgo (something valued) for the sake of something having a more pressing claim." Starting with pregnancy and continuing into motherhood, sacrifice becomes a big part of every mother's life. It is not something altogether unfamiliar, especially to someone who has accepted Christ's sacrifice alone to pay for her sins. Christ modeled sacrifice by giving his life so that we can be forgiven which enables us to stand in God's presence, not on our own merits, but solely on the basis of His merciful act. Obviously no sacrifice we make would ever come close to this ultimate act. Still, we are called to offer ourselves in worship to the Lord, in light of His mercy toward us.
As a believer this means that I must be careful not to follow the patterns of this world, but to allow God to transform my very thinking so that my decisions can fall in line with His will. Some patterns that I would suggest are rampant in our society are greed, materialism, the pursuit of personal happiness (leaving behind a spouse when he/she no longer makes me happy etc.), comfort and convenience. We rationalize sins we enjoy with a loose interpretation of scripture to make it say what we'd like it to. For example, many Christians today think surely God did not intend us to be sexually pure, for example, so long as we are morally better than the next guy. We must take God and the Bible seriously because it is through his written word that we know his character and ultimately know Him!
When we look at God's mercy to us, the things that we give up seem altogether insignificant. And yet, at the same time, these things may feel very painful. These sacrifices, great and small, almost always yield a result of growth. For example, by forgoing chocolate, pre-pregnancy size (or something close to it) can be attained much more quickly. Any of us would say that the outcome merits the sacrifice, but in the moment it can be painful if your cravings are strong.
As a parent, many sacrifices are automatic. If you breastfeed, your day is certainly broken up into 2 to 3 hour segments, which really limits what you are able to accomplish. Personally, I would never trade the result of giving my baby the food that is medically proven to be the best for him. It is hard work, but at the same time it is terribly rewarding and fulfilling. Alone time is virtually out the window, sleeping in is rare and nights out are few and far between.
Focusing on what we give up as mothers can be harmful. Rejoicing in the outcome can be incredibly encouraging.
On the flip-side, we shouldn't feel guilty about enjoying certain blessings in life. Justin and I had a very pleasant Valentine's date this week. With the help of some thawed milk and a friend visiting, we really enjoyed getting away by ourselves for a few hours. We appreciated it so much more because those times are rare. But being away from time to time actually helps us to be better parents because we come back refreshed. Giving up or forgoing a night out would not have been a real sacrifice at all because there would not have been "a more pressing claim" to stay home for (since Lewis was well cared for etc.). Ultimately, each of us is called to give up different things at different times, but God never asks us to sacrifice just for the sake of doing it. There will always be some benefit, be it a stronger character, or a better figure.
This has turned out much longer than I intended!! Forgive the theological tone, and feel free to continue the discussion on sacrifice.
1 comment:
It's 4:15 in the morning and I've been up for an hour trying to comfort a screaming baby. After doing everything I could to help her, and knowing that she is not hurting or anything, I'm letting her cry it out- one of the least pleasant jobs of motherhood. It got me thinking about this post. :) I mopped my kitchen floor yesterday morning, then left the room for 10 minutes or so, only to come back to a huge mess. My kids wanted to make chocolate milk, apparently without asking for help. One of them opened the Quik jar and spilled the whole thing out on my spotless floor. Such is motherhood. Sometimes you work your tail off only to see all your work undone. One of the most difficult aspects of sacrifice is that sometimes absolutely no one appreciates it. Hopefully your husband will, but let's face it- sometimes he won't. Your children certainly won't all the time, and society usually won't either. But we are children of a God who sees in secret and rewards openly. If we are sacrificing or working or loving or giving to gain a reward, we'll be often disappointed. But if we are doing those things to serve God and our family, we will be so blessed. And often the reward will come about as well. So much joy can be found in Jesus' way of self sacrifice, but only when we die to ourselves on a daily basis. Motherhood presents opportunities to die to self in a thousand ways every day... it kind of gives our selflessness muscle a daily workout. And God sees every bit of it. If we do it as our offering to His service, He will be pleased and will accept it as our gift to Him. And He will fill our lives with joy and rich blessings- the kind that only come in the wake of sacrifice.
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