Sacrifice

Today was the first Sunday of the month. Communion. Another ten minute reminder of the pain, suffering and ultimate destruction of Jesus on the cross as he died for our sins. As I sat in church, thinking over that selfless sacrifice, I began to think on that word.

Sacrifice.

I think everyone knows what the word means. Most people equate it to something that's lost or given up in return for something else - normally something of value. In war, sacrifices are made to ensure victory. Parents make sacrifices (time, energy, money), for their kids. Friends make sacrifices for friends. The act of laying down one's own desires or dreams or goals and instead, allowing those to be set aside or even forgotten for the good of someone or something else.

I then began to think over something I plan to delve into a little deeper sometime, and that's how I want to die. Sounds morbid, but stay with me. In a perfect world (ironic?), I would want to die saving someone's life. I'd want to take a bullet for someone, or push someone out of the way of a careening truck, or take their place in a death march. I don't know how exactly, I just know I'd like to go that way.

I'll dig into that some other time. For now, I'll just leave it at that and say that's how I want to die - laying my life down so someone else can live.

I think that's something that people almost immediately think of when the word "sacrifice" is mentioned. When a teacher sacrifices their life for their students when a crazed murderer rampages a school. When a boyfriend or husband protects their girlfriend/wife from stray bullets in a similar situation (like the incident last summer at the Dark Knight Rises movie). It's called a sacrificial death.

Ever wonder where that deep, intimate, loving action came from?

Well, it's a part of this love story, and it starts like this: "In the beginning..."