Epiphanies: One of Three

In the past few days I’ve had a couple of epiphanies. Probably not meaningful or earth-shattering or even note-worthy to anyone but me, but I thought I’d share them with you anyway since, to me at least, they are quite significant. (I was going to make one very long post, but have decided that I shall split up my musings. Ed.)

Epiphany Number One(1): Sacrifice. I don’t think I ever really gave the meaning of the word much thought and, if I’m honest, haven’t really ever experienced it in the ‘new’ sense (that is to say, the sense in which I now understand the word).

Up until the time of my recent realization, sacrifice meant doing something that perhaps, but not always, hurt a little. Something like picking up a friend from the airport and thus missing my favorite sitcom, or lending a few dollars to a co-worker knowing it’ll never get repaid: small, insignificant things that didn’t really bite into the meat of what made me ME.

Sure, I gave up a bit of time, or a couple of bucks, but it wasn’t anything of much worth to me that I lost.

I don’t know what the moment was any more, but it suddenly dawned on me that true sacrifice means to give up something precious, something that holds significance and would otherwise be used in a substantial and important way.

I don’t think it’s a secret that I believe in God. While I don’t attend services and have no allegiance to a particular religious organization, I would declare myself a card-carrying Christian (which is not to imply that I’m a very good one, or good at being one, or however one would say that I often fall short of walking the walk or, to offer up a pun for your enjoyment, practicing what I preach).

So, from a Christian perspective, I thought about the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament and all the references to ‘first fruits’ and such. These things were the best of the best to their owners. Possessions which would normally go to support their very existence were being offered up.

What have I ever done to even come close to such faith?

Please understand, I don’t think their faith was in the act of the sacrifice: burning grains and lambs and whatever else it was they did that I never really paid attention to apart from noting the physical act. Their faith was that in doing so, they were proclaiming that the things themselves, the animals and the foodstuffs, while most likely important in that it may mean they go without food on the table, these things were not the objects in which they put their faith. Faith not only in the existence of a Higher Being, but faith that that self-same Being would look out for them and make sure they had enough of whatever it was they needed.

I now think that sacrifice HAS to hurt. It has to mean that you’re giving up something to prove that that thing is not what you put your faith in.

And, yes, I DO think sacrifice is a show of faith, whether in a deity, The One True God, or simply the fact that one’s personal ‘loss’ will be more than offset by some good.