What springs to mind when you think about sacrifice?
In his book ‘Written In Blood’, Robert Coleman tells the story of a little boy whose sister needed a blood transfusion. She had a rare blood type which she shared with her little brother. The fact that he had recovered from the same disease two years earlier, made the chances of success even greater. The doctor carefully explained all this to the little boy, pointing out that without the transfusion his sister would die.
“Would you be brave and give your blood to your sister?” the doctor asked. Johnny hesitated. His lower lip began to tremble. Then he smiled and said, “Sure, for my sister.” The two children were wheeled into the hospital room – Mary, pale and thin; Johnny, robust and healthy. He smiled at his sister, as he watched the blood moving steadily from his body down to the clear tube. Johnny’s soon smile faded, and as he lay there feeling weak, he looked up at the doctor and said, “Doctor, when do I die?’
Johnny thought that giving his blood to his sister meant giving up his life. Yet because of his great love for her, he was prepared to pay the price.
True love means being able to give up anything and everything, for the one we love. How much would you give up for your spouse? Would you give up your job, to take care of him/her when they are bed-ridden? How true are the vows you said to each other when you promised to love one another “in sickness and in health, in richness and in poverty”? How true are the words, “I love you” even before the vows? To most of us, that is what sacrifice is all about. But I ask, “If we can go to such extents in dire situations, how easy is it to forfeit some of the small fights we have, just because we disagree or cannot stand some of their behavior(s)?”
We often view sacrifice in terms of big things like donating blood, an organ or even financial sacrifice. This is very crucial when it comes to proving our love and relationships. But sacrifice is not just in the major things, it’s about being able to give up the honor of being right in an argument, its all about saying sorry even when we know we may not be in the wrong. It’s about understanding when our significant other is worked up and accepting this. Sacrifice is all about deciding to stay behind to solve issues, even when your friends are calling you to go out for a game.
We recently talked about cultural/background differences in our relationships and how small things may result in fights amongst us. How much are you willing to sacrifice to accommodate that spouse/friend? Yes, not all things are worth compromising, but if we are to live in harmony, then sacrifice is necessary. To get a male perspective on this, check out Mitch’s post HERE
