We hear
little usage of the word sacrifice these days, except perhaps in relation to
the term salary sacrificing, in which case it’s not really a sacrifice in the
traditional sense at all, just another way to be better off financially.
Sacrifice as a verb has two meanings. It can mean to kill or offer something to
a deity. It can also mean to give up something important or valuable for the
sake of other considerations. When one sacrifices there is a cost yet there is
also a reason for doing so.
It’s a word
that has important connotations when it comes to pregnancy, child-rearing and
abortion.
The birth
of a child is a life-changing event, impacting on relationships, careers,
finances and other resources such as time and energy. It may well require a
redistribution of priorities. For some it can be a terrifying prospect,
particularly if unexpected and unplanned.
Yet I would
argue that there is no shame in embracing the unexpected, in stepping on to a
different road from that which you had firmly mapped out. Nearly all of us at
some stage of our lives will be called to do so in one way or another.
When you
embrace what is, life need not be terrible. In fact, it can be more wonderful
than what it replaced.
When I
think of all the sacrifices my parents made for me, I know they would say the
same thing that I would say to my children- that the love that you feel for
each one is well worth any personal cost. This is the heritage given and passed
on to the next generation.
