From the beginning of the World, every wonderful thing that has happened is based on one important principle that we don’t like to practice – sacrifice. The biblical account of creation lends credence to this fact when the Omnipotent God himself worked for six straight days to create our world and only rested on the seventh day. If God himself who owns the heaven and the earth paid attention to his project and ensured everything was perfect before he rested; human beings have to start understanding the power invested in doing same. (Genesis 1-2)

That was not the end of God’s sacrifice to humankind. He demonstrated his will to sacrifice once again Millions of years after when he allowed his only begotten son to die for our sins. The first scripture that fascinated me with Christianity is John 3:16 – 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.
That is the power of sacrifice at work again. I am going to share some lessons I have learned about sacrifice and I hope it spurs someone on to make exploit.

1. Sacrifice is hard because it is sacrifice
It will not be a sacrifice if it is very easy to accomplish. Good things don’t usually come very easy but mostly have to be grounded out. Most are averse to taking the hard way and instead look for the easy way out. Those are people who make excuses and never go on to impact their generation.

2. Sacrifice can be very painful
Imagine a father who accepted to give the life of his son up to save his wayward creation? Now imagine a son who did not bail out on humanity at the last minute but went on to die like a common criminal.
Also imagine another father whom God asked to give up his son as a sweet smelling offering to him. These all happened and we know the stories of Jesus’ cruxification as well as Abraham/Isaac. Those are very painful sacrifices to make but they all braved it even though God was gracious to spare Isaac’s life as he was just testing Abraham’s faith. Many of us have been faced with the smallest of sacrifices to preserve our inheritance and future, but we mess it up because we are avoiding pain. The pains we avoid come in various forms but most times, they are just meant to teach us a lesson about life.

3. In God’s dictionary, sacrifice can be 2-ways
When Jesus died for our sins, it was not automatic for everyone to enjoy that sacrifice. The onus lies on each individual to also make a simple yet important sacrifice to enjoy the benefits. A partaker of the blessings of eternal life must believe in his son. Simple, yet very hard decision to make because we think our lives are caged when we seek to be like him. We tend to equate understanding God’s ways as not living life and so we continue with our ways whilst blocking our minds to his teachings.

4. Same applies to our worldly pursuit
There is not gain without pain. The men and women who have made our World an easier place to live in today made sacrifices in the past. The United States will never forget their patriots who fought the British to a conclusion resulting in the creation of the most powerful country in the World today. South Africa will also not suffer Amnesia; the years spent in Robben Island and other prisons by the ANC leaders will not be forgotten. Other African nationalists also fought and died for the emancipation of their countries. Great inventors, composers and artists also have something in common – they sacrifice a lot of time thinking and fabricating their thoughts to evolve masterpieces.

5. It pays to sacrifice
The joy of sacrifice is that the end results in a lasting legacy. Jesus Christ today is known everywhere and even those who don’t believe in him still discuss him. Pagans enjoy the Easter holiday in their own way and I am not sure there is a more interesting personality than him. That was the result of his sacrifice on the cross. Abraham is known as the father of faith and from him came many descendants which was a direct gain from his willingness to sacrifice. One needs to read biographies of successful men and women to understand that their success came as a result of sacrifices made throughout their lives. Sleep deprivation to read books, journals, write proposals, study for certification exams are some of the things that stand out men who are going somewhere. Women have to literarily put their lives on hold to carry a child for 9 months and thereafter nurse same. We all know the joy of bringing a child to the World but sometimes forget the sacrifice that accomplish it.

6. Pursuing righteousness is a sacrifice
We are in a perverted world where sex, corruption and other vices rule. I was not in Sodom and Gomorrah but I doubt it was this bad. It is getting increasingly difficult to stick to doing right in our times. Deciding to do what is right is the key for our World to get back on track. Having a mind to be just to all men will change a lot of bad to good. Those who are prepared to stand up and leave the urges of their skins are doing themselves and the World a favour. Saying no to 10 minutes of fun that can ruin a whole lifetime is the hallmark of great men. Saying no to the lure of illegal riches stands a man out. We need you to sacrifice to save yourself.

7. There is no better time than now to start sacrificing
We are in interesting times. A time when many are singing the tune of being cast down. The economic realities ensures that only those who understand the principles which open doors are safe. This is the time when wheat will be separated from shaft. When those who sacrifice are lifted up because of their diligence. If there are 10 people who do the same job as you, this is the time to be better than them all else you might lose out. This is also the time to give to the poor despite the fact that you think things are not too rosy to give out but know that feeding is hard for some people. Whoever understands the principle of sacrificing in difficult periods are always rewarded for their efforts.

As we just finished the holidays that signifies the highest sacrifice ever made; I pray that our eyes of understanding will open and lead us to do what is right.