#7 Sacrifice?

So if we are supposed to grow our lives like a plant, then what do we make of sacrifice? Is the idea of cherishing your life an excuse to be selfish? 

Yes and no. 

Think of it this way. Imagine I walk into a car dealership and tell the dealer that I will be buying the finest Ferrari he has. Without a second’s hesitation, he brings me the keys and we set to signing the paperwork. I tell him that I suddenly got some valuable stuff that should cover the price of the car. And into my pocket goes my hand, only to pull out…

A penny.

The salesman laughs, asking if this is some kind of prank. I tell him that I am serious, and that this penny belonged to my great great grandma. Though that gives the penny some kind of value, it’s not Ferrari-level value, because it’s still a penny. Then he kicks my butt and throws me out of the shop. End of story. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are that penny if we don’t start acting like a Ferrari. And acting like a Ferrari takes work. But this isn’t a call to arrogance. No, arrogance is pretending to be something special without earning it. What I am proposing are a few ways to be more Ferrari-like, so that it can be a bigger deal when you give yourself for something. 

And when I talk about giving yourself for something, I don’t just mean dying for it. Though, that is a noble thing to do, I am talking about what we live for. And the first part of this is making the most of your time. Like I said the other day, this doesn’t mean working every waking moment, but every moment should be intentional. Scrolling through your phone isn’t the worst thing in the world, but if it starts to take control of you instead of the other way around, it’s a problem. Anything that robs you of your self-control needs to be tweaked and pruned. 

Second, you need to think about where you would like to be in life. Even if it’s something small, like working at a chick-fil-a, you need to own the path you are on. Because, at the end of the day, regret comes from things you would really like from your life that you didn’t chase down. Particularly, it’s the things that you know, deep down, that you could have put some effort into chasing. 

And part of owning the path that you are on is being good at it. If you like being a Chick-Fil-A employee, be a good one! If it means a lot to you to be there, make the most of it. You don’t have to spend every waking moment working there, but do a good job while you’re there. In that way, you can express how much you love your job, and your boss will want to keep you around. Everybody wins! 

Think about it like this: you could commit to a lot of things in this world. You could go to med school, become an athlete, a chef, a waiter or waitress, the possibilities are endless! So much so that you can’t commit to all of them. Though you can juggle several parts of your life, like leisure, work, and connections, you are still limited in how much you can accomplish as one person. So you have to pick a few things to focus on doing with excellence!

And think about some of the people you respect. The people who are above you. Maybe it’s a boss, or a highly capable coworker. Maybe it’s your parents, aunts, or uncles. Whoever it may be, a good part of why they’re up there is because they committed to something. They chose to move towards a flourishing of life, rather than the slow decay of death. They kept moving forward with a sense of focus, setting their eyes on somewhere or someone they wanted to be. 

In a way, I think this is something that Jigsaw tries to highlight. We all put ourselves on a path that either brings us closer to life, or sets us on a path towards death. Maybe we could say he speeds up that process a little bit, letting us see the consequences of our actions further down the line. Maybe it would be helpful to toss around the idea that our bad habits are sending us down a dark road that could envelop us if we aren’t careful. Perhaps, if left unchecked, the bad stuff about us could eventually spin out of control, and we just don’t see it in real enough time? 

Just something to think about, I guess. 

So take some time to take control of your precious minutes, and to become the Ferrari that you were always meant to be! I pray that self-worth fills your heart, and that you cherish the life you have been given!

Until Next Time

May Peace be your Guide.