SACRIFICE

This past Sunday was the most relaxing Sunday I've had in a while. I don’t know, but there was something so satiating about 70º weather, with candles lit throughout my house, listening to my Reggae Playlist, and vibing out, while being an amateur website designer. My initial plan was to head out with my friend for her birthday, but unfortunately due to weather changes, she canceled. I was a little distraught; I was ready to put on my cute fit, mask, and all. When I woke up, I told myself that I wouldn’t let the weather cause me to be unproductive, so I decided to get to work.

After dinner, I sat in bed pondering what to tackle next. I started scrolling through my blog topics wondering which one to edit. The problem was, none of them were speaking to me. Instead, I found myself on IG, trying to clear my mind and get a fresh idea. I stumbled upon Anthony O'Neal's post about selling his BMW as a sacrifice and foundation to build wealth. I hadn't even finished reading the caption but I knew exactly where I was headed.

A few nights ago I watched a sermon by Sarah Jakes Roberts, entitled For The Shade. Initially, I thought my sis was going to tell some shady story and tie it into the gospel, but she did the total opposite. The first thing that caught me was when she said: “God made us in His image, but we don’t have an image of God”. I was like whet? But it’s true. We’ve [well I’ve,] never seen God before. We’ve seen images of what people perceive Him to look like but that within itself is questionable. It ties into the concept of living by faith and not by sight. SJR said, “you’re living in God’s shade”. Shade in this sense refers to being shaded like that of a palm tree at Dunn’s River Falls in Jamaica where the water is warm and the breeze is cool and nothing can go wrong 😎 I digress. Being in the shade means that for as long as you’re living faithfully, God gotchu. He will forever protect you from the harsh realities; you may get darker but as long as you’re in the shade you won’t get burned. She went on to say that God’s love language is sacrifice. How, you ask? John 3:16 KJV "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

"Struggle is making ends meet;

Sacrifice is budgeting to get a better life."

Sarah Jakes Roberts, Pastor of One Church LA

As I think back, I remember the times I had to sacrifice parts of my life, and the result was always something better. Once I started nursing school, I knew I had to sacrifice going out and having fun on my minimum wage salary. I don’t mean to brag, but I understood that once I sacrificed those eighteen months, when I was done with school, my salary would increase exponentially. Looking back, I understand that these current blessings would not have happened back then, because the environment wasn’t appropriate. Imagine me having a relatively new car with a car note and full coverage insurance with one job that paid me minimum wage. It doesn’t make sense right?

SJR said, “the most toxic relationships lack sacrifice!” If you’re unwilling to sacrifice in your relationships, it'll eventually start feeling like a tug of war and you will be exhausted. If you’re struggling in your relationship with God, it’s probably because there is something you need to let go of, that’s pulling you away from God, that you’re not willing to give up chiiiiile! We as human beings hold on to whatever we can see because I mean, we can see it. We don’t do well with the unknown. It’s scary, it doesn’t feel safe, there is no real sense of security.

“If you’re constantly sacrificing, you’re saying you’re ready to continually grow”. It means that you are making room for change to happen. SACRIFICE CHANGES THINGS. In life, you have to realize that not everything serves you; sometimes you have to cut things off. But it doesn’t mean that it is a loss. It simply means that you are giving Him room to work in your life because of the empty space that is available. If you’re constantly busy, when will God have time to commune with you? Again, that’s where sacrifice comes in. I’ve said this before, I am not perfect. There are nights when I’m half ‘sleep, ready to say my prayers, and halfway through I realize I was dreaming then I have to apologize and start over 🥴. I know God looks at me a lil’ funny but it’s okay. I have to set aside time to recharge, refuel, and be in communion with Him. I may choose to read my Bible/Bible plan/say my prayers before I lay my phone down or when I am up and have energy. That gives me time to be in His shade.

DOES YOUR LIFE HAVE AN APPOINTMENT?

This is when I knew we were getting good. She said, “if you don’t appoint your life, then someone will DIS-appoint it”. You can’t blame another person for coming into your life and messing it up. You were the one that gave them that access in the first place. You have to stand firm in what you want and the way you choose to live because if you’re not careful, you’ll find yourself being burned by people and things that were never meant for you to begin with. Not because it looks good means its better. Throughout the sermon, she said that there are people connected to you, that you are unknowingly protecting. The minute you start slipping, they slip. Understand that you, your life, your faith, your beliefs are attached to someone else and you are their living example of the right thing. So what happens when you detour when the road was clear, to begin with! Now you’ve hit in a pothole, and guess who just crashed into your bumper because the road was dark and they couldn’t see where they were going. I’m just saying. You have to lay it down completely. What/whoever that thing or person is. You have the power of sacrifice.

John 10:17 NIV "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again." Love, you are not for everybody and everybody is not for you. If you know there is a purpose for your life and you have an appointment, lay down whatever it is that's holding you back [job, boyfriend, people, family, business]. He will scoop you like Prince Charming, and bless you one hundred more than you can imagine.