Sacrifice

My church is doing a series on Gandhi’s Seven Social Sins. This week covered “Religion Without Sacrifice”.  Sacrifice is giving up something of value. Its opposite is holding onto something. The result of religion without sacrifice? Life without integrity.

That struck a chord. I don’t have a problem giving of myself. I’m not overly attached to money or material objects. Sacrifice isn’t something I thought I struggled with. But I do like to hold onto certain things. Mistakes I’ve made. Unreasonable expectations of myself. I keep old wounds close at hand so they can be easily revisited. Then, I build up walls to protect myself and safeguard my things. I’ve gotten in the habit of living this way.

It’s comfortable.

But I’ve started noticing that hoarding such things is preventing me from living the life I claim I want. It’s preventing me from living with integrity. It’s preventing me from being the person I know I am meant to be.

I no longer question if I can be big. I will be. I will make a difference in the lives of my patients. I will serve my community. I will contribute to the art, science, and philosophy of chiropractic. But to continue working towards this bigness, I need to live with integrity and honesty within my own self. That’s going to get uncomfortable.

But it’s not about me and my comfort. It’s about service. It’s about fulfilling my potential. Anything less would be a lie.

 Dictionary.com defines sacrifice as “the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.”

This is pressing. There is a higher claim. To be big… to follow my path… to have faith in my journey… Sacrifices will have to be made.