Christ Lutheran Church - Valencia, CA

Today in MOLO (Mothers of Little Ones)...
Posted on: 11/06/2007

Today in
MOLO (Mothers of Little Ones), we were reading from a book called, "The
Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom (who also wrote
"Tuesdays with Morrie"). Our discussion led to the subject of
'sacrifice'. We talked about sacrifice and what it meant to us--
denying ourselves, for the sake of others. As mothers, many sacrifices
are made each day for the sake of our families, and we are often put at
the bottom of the list. (Making time for yourself is another important
subject I will cover later). My attitude towards it was not always
that I WANTED to make these sacrifices, but instead I had to and didn't
have any other choice because I'm a mother, plain and simple. There
were times I was resentful of all the sacrifices I had to make.

I learned that you can choose to have a glad and willing heart when
you make sacrifices. Sometimes it's hard to have a willing heart, but
that's when God steps in (if you let Him) and can help you with that.
In the book, Mitch Albom says, "sacrifices are part of life. It's
supposed to be. It's not something to regret. It's something to
aspire to. Little sacrifices. Big sacrifices." (pg. 93, The Two
People you Meet in Heaven). I love this because it's a perspective I
never thought of. Sacrifices can help us grow, and can help shape us
into the people God intends.

When asked to teach Sunday school again this year, I agreed to do it
because I had been called to do so. I honestly admit that my heart was
not in it, and I was doing it more out of obligation than for the
joy of it. I really wanted a break from it, and I had to work on my
outlook and somehow have a change of heart. I went to God, and asked
Him to change my heart. Over the summer I started to get excited about
the first day, and started writing my 'welcome student letter', and
getting anxious to meet my students. I don't know how it happened, it
just did. Teaching Sunday school is a sacrifice -- but I joyously make
that sacrifice because I know now why I'm doing it. It's for the most
important reason of all-- for Jesus and His children. And I get the
benefit out of it too! I love seeing kids grow spiritually and
learning about God's love. And I love that they are happy to be there
with me!!!

I also got a lot of perspective on another quote from the book--
"Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you're not really
losing it. You're just passing it on to someone else." (pg. 94) This
was hard to understand at first, but if you think about it, it does
make sense. When you sacrifice something-- it can be anything (time,
money, etc..) not only are you giving the gift of that sacrifice, but
you are setting an example and teaching others what it means to
sacrifice. It's kind of like the 'domino effect', or the idea of the
movie, "Pay it Forward" (great movie, by the way!). When you give away
something that is precious to you, you are giving it a chance to become
precious to someone else. Nothing you do in life falls by the
wayside. There is always an effect on your world and those in it, even
if you don't know it. There was a Coke commercial recently that
displayed this idea perfectly. It was about a guy who was drinking a
Coke, and helped someone by opening a door for them. That person in
turn helped someone else, who helped someone else, etc...and it carried
on through the commercial. One little sacrifice turned into something
bigger, and it affected a lot of people. What would the world be like
if everyone did this-- a better place, that's for sure!

The scripture reading Luke 21:1-4 is the story of the widow's
offering-- you've heard it before. Rich men were dropping in their
large offerings, and a poor widow came up and put in her very last
coin. Jesus' response to this was that she had put in more than all
the others because though she was poor, she gave all that she had. She
had truly made a big sacrifice, and she did it willingly, without
hesitation or reluctance. True sacrifices made to glorify God are ones
like hers, and we can learn from this example.

I know for me, living a comfortable life here in this valley makes
it difficult to give as the poor widow had, but there are many other
things that can be sacrificed. How about giving up your precious time
to any of our church ministries, even though your hectic schedules
don't seem to allow it? How about taking your kids to see more
unfortunate families get their groceries from the local food pantry?
Or taking food to the local shelter and seeing how the homeless live?
Or NOT going out to eat this week at your favorite restaurant-- because
you have a fridge at home, loaded with food? How about not using your
credit card this month for anything other than necessities? ( I can
learn from this suggestion, believe me!) How about writing your
church offering check for more than the usual amount-- BEFORE you pay
your bills? How about writing an offering check PERIOD instead of
putting in the few dollars you happen to have on hand? (I'm stirring
things up now, aren't I)? I could write on and on, but I know you get
the picture. I'm guilty of not making enough sacrifices-- we all are--
we 're human.

So, I hope this gets your sacrificial juices flowing!! Whether it's
big or small, it all makes a difference, and it matters to God! May
God smile on you today!!

< Back To Devotions