What Is Sacrifice?

                In America, most of the time we believe that sacrifice is missing part of a football game on Sunday afternoon in order to make it to evening services.  Some Christian may not even make this sacrifice.   Sacrifice to us is eating lunch a few minutes later because services ran a little long on Sunday morning.  Sacrifice to Americans is having to put a few extra bucks in the collection plate, when we were planning to spend it buying a candy bar and a coke or something different of our choosing.  Typically we as Americans see sacrifice very differently than the people here in Africa. 

                Some of the students asked me if I missed my wife and little girl back home this week. I told them that I did very much, and I have been blessed to be able to see and talk to her a little bit through skype when it is working.  They tell me that they are glad that I am here and have sacrificed much to come.  I appreciated the gesture and thought to myself that I had sacrificed the time and my family’s time to come and be here with the brethren, which I might add that I am enjoying very much.  I was able to go to the student’s dormitories the other day to see what they were like.   To my surprise they were similar to the dorms we might find in college, with an African twist to them of small, old, and run down.  The difference was each dorm had a kitchen that was about 4x4 foot.  Let me remind you their kitchen is not like a kitchen in America.  They would have a propane bottle with a hose attached to some sort of cook top with very old pans and utensils that an American would have thrown away 10 years ago.  There are 2 sleeping areas of each being about a 10 x 10.  This doesn’t sound too bad… if you only had two people like we would in a typical American college dorm room.  Instead they have 4-5 people in each room.  I was standing in the middle of the room with a double arm interval and could almost reach one bed on one side of the room and the other bed on the other side of the room.  With the 2 rooms there is one bathroom the all of the student in that dorm you would share.  Remember these men are here for a two year program.   With their earlier mention of my sacrifice to be with them, I asked a couple of the students, about their families and their time here just to find out more about them.  I almost found myself getting a little teary eyed to find out that one of the brothers had left his family in a far off village by themselves so that he could come and learn about the bible.  He might get to see his family once every couple of months.  I then thought about them asking me if I missed my family, and I replied I did but was a little disheartened when the internet was not working properly.  How little I felt when I found out that this man has not even talked to or seen his family in months.  He has sacrificed many times more than what I even considered to be sacrifice on my part.  I was also talking with another student who continues to ask about my family and if I miss them.  I basically gave the same response as before.  I found out that he has a wife and a 7 week old baby that he has left in his village with his mother in order for him to come and be a preacher of God’s word.  This really touched me when I knew that he was not being able to spend time with his new baby, but instead is away learning about the Bible.  I remember how special and still how special the moments with your kids are.  These men do not have enough money to move their families to the same location as where the school is, so they must come by themselves or not come at all.  They do not have the same lines of communication as we do in America just to pick up the phone, skype, or send an email whenever they choose.  They go days and months without seeing possible talking to their families.  We think if very difficult of having to sacrifice 30 extra minutes on a Sunday for missing a ball game or going to eat, when these brothers sacrifice is many more times that we could ever think.  If we put it in the right perspective, we would decide not to preach the word.  I am humbled at these men’s passion for the Lord and at the lengths they will go to learn about the Bible and are eager to teach others about God’s saving message.   I want myself and those who are reading this to ask yourself what you have sacrificed for God, and if you think you have sacrifices a lot, does it come close to what these men have done? 

                Let us however not forget the greatest sacrifice ever made.  John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes should have everlasting life.”   Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Let us live for Jesus and remember His sacrifice that He gave for us. May God bless your day.