Sacrifice

sacrifice |ˈsakrəˌfīs|noun• an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy: we must all be prepared to make sacrifices.• Christian Church Christ's offering of himself in the Crucifixion.• Christian Church the Eucharist regarded either (in Catholic terms) as a propitiatory offering of the body and blood of Christ or (in Protestant terms) as an act of thanksgiving.ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French, from Latin sacrificium; related to sacrificus ‘sacrificial,’ from sacer ‘holy.’
Lately I have been struck by the lack of appreciation my generation has for sacrifice. I am in no way saying that I am the ultimate expert on sacrifice or that I do not falter and wish for life to be without sacrifice. It is  just not something that many people think about but sacrifice is an essential part of every day life and leads us to be better versions of ourselves. There are multiple examples throughout the world and history of how first enduring unpleasant things allows us to fully appreciate the great joy that is to come. Look at the seasons for example, we must first go through the cold dead winter before we can experience the green lively spring. Although the winter may appear dead to some it is still beautiful in its own way and allows for the earth to go through the cycle of life and death to prepare for the spring. Coming from this season of Lent we also see that in order to get to Easter and enjoy the glory of Jesus rising from the dead we much cleanse ourselves by sacrificing things we regard as important to prepare for someone much more important, Jesus Christ.
More reflection on this to come.