Sacrifice

"....whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."  -Matthew 10:39b

My desire to have children was innate so it never felt like a sacrifice to have them.  Raising them, however, was another matter.  Being a parent means giving up sleep, time, money, and most of all, one's heart.  I didn't go into motherhood realizing that one day I'd have to give them up.  I'm fortunate that they all live within an hour's drive so I do get to be with them often, but they have their own lives that I'm not a part of anymore.  This has been a sacrifice for me.

Because I gave my life to Christ when I was a child my whole life has been lived with that knowledge.  It has taken me years, however, to fully surrender to Him because I was never taught what that meant and did not see it modeled.  Once I learned about the Holy Spirit's role in my life I had to learn what it meant to lose my life for Him.....and unlearn my old way of living.  I had to lose my old way of living in order to find my new life in Christ.  

I am grateful for my children and the lessons they taught me and continue to teach me through the sacrifices I have made for them.  I pray that somewhere along the way they have learned how to lose their life for Christ's sake so that they can find it in Him.