Sacrifice

On Sunday, we were taught by an amazing and most incredible teacher about sacrifice. I love listening to her lessons. She really is a phenomenal woman.

The lesson spoke of different sacrifices people have been asked to make throughout the history of the world: Abraham and Isaac, Jesus Christ, the pioneers, and so many others. She gave some inspiring examples of sacrifices made throughout her ancestory. I felt completely changed by this lesson.

While contemplating the topic of sacrifice throughout the day, I pondered the sacrifices in my own life I've been asked to make. Some of them seem so easy and menial (i.e. taking a meal to someone, paying my tithing, staying away from media that is not in keeping with the Spirit), while others have required much effort and, often, tears. There have been many times in my life when I haven't quite understood what was being asked of me; when in my eyes, I HAD nothing more to give and still there was much required. I thought about all of these times as my life rolled over in my mind.

And then, a thought hit me so hard that I had to stop everything. We often think of sacrifice in being negative action, requiring something we don't necessarily want to give to bring us temporary discomfort and pain. But, (this is where the thought made me REALLY think...) what if there were things that we were asked to sacrifice that would actually be made in order to make our life EASIER.

A-ha!!!

I know it sounds a little bit odd, but what if it wasn't monetary or physical or time-related? What if the sacrifice we are now being asked to make...is internal?

Example #1: Some of us (most of us) struggle with self-esteem. We feel trodden down. We feel like failures; we feel we are not good enough; that we are not worthy of whatever. Therefore, many of us "settle" for less.

BUT...

What if the one thing holding us back from success in life is the fact that we are not willing to lose the ease of a low self-esteem in order to seek for a higher self-appreciation. So possibly, the sacrifice we are being asked to make here is the "comfort" (or habit) of low self-esteem in order to achieve a high self-appreciation, a willingness to look at ourselves and realize that we ARE, in fact, an amazing creation who is destined for amazing things: we just need to put forth the effort to DISCOVER that. So,
the sacrifice of negative thoughts=prosperity!

Food for thought: You don't see a Prophet or a General Authority (male or female) with a low self-esteem, do you? It is a GOOD thing to have positive thoughts about yourself and realize you are incredible...

Example #2: The surrender (or sacrifice) of doubt. By show of hands, how many of us have ever heard (or said) the words, "I'll try my best but I doubt I'll succeed."

(notice that everyone is now raising their hands)
Doubt, both in ourselves and in others means that you have no hope. But, we are commanded to have "faith, hope and charity". We all have faith. We follow therefore we have faith. All of us do good things for other people therefore we all have charity. But to have hope requires us to truly, truly, TRULY believe that things will come about; that we are good enough to accomplish what we have sent out to do. The words "I'll do what I can but I probably won't make it" isn't enough. It isn't being humble. It isn't being fair. It's exercising doubt! And if doubt exists in your heart, then there is no HOPE. So, in order to make things happen in this world we must sacrifice doubt in exchange for pure HOPE.

Food for thought: faith+HOPE+charity=miracles

These are just a couple of ideas, or examples that I have come up with. But there are so many more internal sacrifices (control issues, anger, grudges, pride, etc.) that maybe you are being asked to surrender. Can you, no, WILL you let go of that little something. I believe you can. I believe I can. I believe we will be blessed for it. I believe.