Selfless Sacrifice

One fall afternoon, I waited in our local country market for sandwiches to be made for my girls. An older couple walked in and approached the counter. The woman behind the counter noticed the man’s veteran hat and thanked him for his service. The man’s response left me dumbfounded. He looked the woman in the eye and said, “You were worth it.”

His response was loving and heartfelt. The woman humbly muttered something about not being sure about that.

His response surprised me. I expected him to say something like, “You are welcome,” or “Oh, it was no big deal.” He didn’t. He turned a compliment for himself around and made it about her and her value.

This reminds me of our faith journey. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice. He accepted torture, mocking, and death because it was the Lord’s will for His life. Because of Jesus’s sacrifice, we don’t have to carry around the burden of our sin. As we express our gratitude, Jesus’ fulfillment of the Father’s will shows us we are worth it, just as the veteran in the store verbally modeled.

We don’t always feel worth it. Realistically, we don’t deserve what Jesus did for us, but He did it anyway. He did it because it was the Father’s will. His sacrifice provides us the ability to live freely in a world that could weigh us down with sin.

Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice to offer us liberty from sin. True freedom is found in Christ alone. Let’s not forget the sacrifices that were offered on our behalf. Let’s show our gratitude by living with the freedom God intends for our life.