Small Sacrifices

We submitted our application to adopt from Ethiopia on Christmas Day. Since that time we have made some small sacrifices in our family in order to move forward with this adoption. For us, a sacrifice may look like this: skiing on the gentle slopes of Lake Nockamixon this winter instead of spending the weekends on the ski slopes, seeing the holiday lights in our local community instead of going to our favorite city on the east coast-NYC, eating lunch after church at home although the kids (and often Marco) are pleading to go eat Chinese buffet, buying drugstore makeup instead of some of my favorite Mary Kay products, having my dear husband once again color my VERY grey hair instead of going to the salon once a month, canceling our YMCA family membership and our daily newspaper, and deciding to buy a retainer for my missing tooth (from my kids orthodontist) which contains a fake tooth to wear at night until I can put in an implant. Yes, I am from WV, so really what is one missing tooth?

Wow--what an interesting list. Anyone who knows my husband, knows how THRIFTY he is. He has never hired anyone to paint, fix, mow, clean, plant, assemble, repair, or take apart. Our very first house was an old log cabin, with oil heat. He once went to the library (this was before the internet) and read a book about how to clean and repair our heater. He has diagnosed many of our kids and pets, and cars-- instead of taking them to the dr or auto repair shop. (Thank goodness I am not quite as thrifty, and do take them to the dr when needed:)

We really do try to make our $$$ go a bit further, but as I noted in my last post, we can always do better. We can do better because we have been GIVEN MUCH. Just thinking about the sacrifices that the birth family of our little girl in Africa is making brings tears to my eyes. They are making the decision to place their little girl in an orphanage for a better life. Maybe they are sick, and maybe she is too. They have not been GIVEN MUCH and do not have many material possessions to give up, they do not have YMCA memberships or a house full of stuff.

They are making the REAL sacrifice, which brings me to the sacrifice that God made for us. His only son. How much is He asking us to give up? He has not asked us to give up our children, but he has asked us to "give".

"Give. Give generously, abundantly, and sacrificially. Give not because your stuff is bad. Give because Christ is in you. Give because your heart has been captured by a Savior who has produced in you "overflowing joy," welling up in "rich generosity." (Radical, by David Platt)

This is the kind of sacrifice I want my family to make for the orphans of the world. This is the purpose He has given to us, and with this we must act. We need to make greater sacrifices. How will this look for your family?