Sacrifice

There was something I was supposed to write about yesterday and didn't. So what did God do? He put it in my devotion for this morning. Ok, God, I'll do it. I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel like there are certain things I've had to sacrifice in life. Things that I've given up for the cause of Christ, and some things that I feel like I have sacrificed because I have no choice. I'm thinking that this is pretty normal, and I bet I'm not the only one feeling this way. I'm gonna get a bit personal here. My husband and I spent 8 years trying (and failing) to have a baby of our own. God sent us 2 girls to adopt and even when we did this, we still craved a child of our own. I wanted a baby with all my being. My arms ached, my heart ached, and every part of me wanted to die because my body would not do what it was created to do. I've known since high school that a baby of my own would probably not be a part of my life, but I was selfish and wanted it my way. God kept telling me no, and I wouldn't take no for an answer. But then I realized that part of what was making me miserable and angry in life was that I wouldn't give that part of me up to God. I wanted to be in charge. But what I needed to do was offer it to God as a "sacrifice". I think there are times that God calls us all to offer something in our lives as a "sacrifice". In Genesis we get to meet a man named Abraham (changed from Abram...but that's another story). He and his wife, Sarah, tried for many, many years to have a baby with no luck. They even went outside God's will and Abraham had a baby with his wife's servant. (I can relate to their frustrations). God finally told them that they would have a baby in their old age, which they did. This baby was named Isaac, and many years after he was born, God told Abraham to take his son up on a mountain and sacrifice him...as in kill his only son. After waiting many years for this child, God now wants Abraham to kill his only child. But Abraham takes his son anyway and goes up to the mountain. To make a long story short, in the end Abraham showed his obedience to God and God provided another sacrifice to take the place of Isaac. (read this all in Genesis 22) I made a tough choice early this past spring to have a hysterectomy. This was the hardest sacrifice of my life (lots of tears). But God asked me to do it, so I did. The weekend after I set my surgery date, I got a phone call. It was a phone call that has changed our lives. It was about adopting a baby...a baby due any day now and will be ours. I still ended up making my sacrifice, but God rewarded my obedience to Him. Even if it has nothing to do with a baby, I know that others have felt like they have sacrificed in their lives. Next time God asks you for a part of your life, give it to him and watch what He does!