“For a man to
lay down his all, his (1) character and reputation, his honour, and applause,
his good name among men, (2) houses, his lands, his (3) brothers and sisters,
his wife and children and even his (4) own life also….requires more than mere
belief or supposition that he is doing the will of God; but actual knowledge,
realizing that, when these sufferings are ended; he will enter into eternal
rest, and be a partaker of the glory of God” (Jerry A. Wilson, Lecture 6:5, The
Great Plan of Happiness, Insights From the Lectures on Faith, p 68)
Just as the
Saviour paid an enormous price for the gift of eternal life that is on offer to
all of us, we are asked to sacrifice our all here in mortality, to basically
become like Him and be worthy of such a gift.
Paul called
all things that he sacrificed and walked away from ‘but filth and dross for the
excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ’. A real Jew, circumcised, of the
stock of Israel, a Pharisee of the tribe of Benjamin, as he called himself
(Philippians 3:5,8; Romans 11:1), walked away from his Jewish upbringing,
family, lucrative career, and social standing amongst the Romans, and chose to
believe in the gifts of eternity.
As well defined
as the path of sacrifice is in the above quote, I wish to write about another form
of sacrifice and that is the sacrifice of ego and self-importance because I
believe this is the power base of all other forms of sacrifice. This is the
root out of which all forms of sacrifice can grow.
I have a
friend currently on vacation in Bali. She has been very impressed with the people’s
kindness and helpfulness. She has learnt a lot of their customs, among which is
the traditional responsibility among Balinese people to care for their aging
parents. She found it amazing that ‘the poorer they are, the more caring and
loving they are.
I replied to
her that it is a proven truth that when you are not spoilt and encumbered by
the comforts and luxuries of the world, you care about things that truly matter
much easier and better. I also pointed out that we are so intent on ‘having
things’ and we do not realize how that pursuit encourages and motivates
self-importance to the detriment of the important things like giving of
yourself to others which is one of the sacrifices we are asked to make.
We live in a
world of ego called “me, myself and I”. Somehow, we have lost the sight of
sacrifice as we seek to elevate ourselves instead. The nature of our world is
undergirded by possession of worldly things, of houses and lands, of honour and
applause. We cannot survive without two incomes, professional unfulfillment, a
house in a well to do neighbourhood, private schools, latest cars…..and so
called holidays essential for our mental health.
While
Balinese people live on scooters from the age of 17 and care for their aging
family members, a lot of us are relying on aged care homes to care for our parents
and grandparents so we can ‘get on with our lives’.
If we are to
secure that gift of eternal life by emulating the life of Him who can give it
to us, we need to place the self on the altar of sacrifice more often that we
do as sacrifice of self reveals the face of eternity and the view is glorious
because of the greatest sacrifice there ever was:
“For God so
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
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