I think the first question would be better asked, “What is a sacrifice?”

The Cambridge dictionary defines sacrifice as:

to give up something that is valuable to you in order to help another person

So what have I given up for the sake of another?

Alot, but not enough.

So what have I given up for the sake of another?
Alot, but not enough.

I gave of my time and nearly my life to give everything to my dying husband in his time of need.

As a widowed mom, I gave up a career to stay home with my children.

When they grew older and I no longer was able to qualify for Widow’s Benefits, I gave of myself for the sake of maintaining a roof over their heads by working for companies I didn’t enjoy.

I continued to give up my own selfishness and desires when I worked for others. Those were some of the greatest lessons to let go of pride and ego, letting hurt and criticism remain in the court of those who cast poor judgement.

There are other things that would classify as sacrifice as well.

Everything desired to be accomplished in life takes discipline.

Sacrifice comes in a variety of forms. The biggest one is learning to discipline the passions and desires. That comes with learning the art of discipline. And that’s huge.

Everything desired to be accomplished in life takes discipline. Any goals that are set take a certain degree of rigidity and uncompromising attitude in order to reach them. Slacking off and expecting something to miraculously make that goal a reality is, in itself, unrealistic.

Who made a great income or achieved business success without effort? And that effort was targeted, continuous, and required a great deal of sacrifice. It all comes with learning the art of discipline.

There are two disciplines that are crucial.

There are two of the top disciplines that I had to acquire touched on everything else in my life. Those two were the most out of control, and remain a something I need to remind myself of every day.

The first is delayed Gratification.

How many of you have gone to the store, saw something on sale, or something that you liked, and decided you just “had to have it”? Could you have waited, given yourself time to really see if you absolutely needed it, or was it just a want?

Like food, we need to give our brains time to process a concept. Eating just because your plate is not empty, or loading up on a favorite tasting food not only isn’t healthy, it often goes beyond the point of being satisfied and into the realm of overeating.

But if we walk away or leave it for at least 20 minutes, the state of the stomach finally reaches the brain. The brain then takes that information and says, “WOAH!! You’ve eaten enough!”

Ditto with our wants of thing in the store. Only the time to wait is more like 24 hours before the panicked desire dies down.

The second is…

The second sacrifice that I had to learn was that just because I had money in my bank account didn’t mean I could spend it all on what I wanted. Because I had to pay others for utilities, phone service, mortgage or rent, car payments, food, clothing, and miscellaneous household necessities, I COULDN’T spend all that money. But without a plan, I was completely undisciplined and didn’t have money for what was needed.

It wasn’t until an accountant at church explained to me how to set up something everyone hates that the habit of discipline kicked in. And when I went through Dave Ramsey’s “Financial Peace University” class, everything clicked into place. And my money problems went away. Even now, when my income has been cut to half of what it was only three years ago.

Looking at it on a regular basis makes me understand in a very real way what I can and cannot afford to buy. It keeps my hands off of what I don’t really need.

Once learned, they affected everything else.

Those two habits ended up flowing into my every day life. Time became managed. I don’t see the clock as an enemy, or watch the hours slip by without being assigned a task. Time is no longer wasted, just as money isn’t wasted.

Discipline with [everything in your life] will spill over into your dealings with [everyone around you]…

And sacrificing to become disciplined ends up affecting everyone around you.

If you are disciplined with emotions, then others don’t end up as the brunt of your outbursts. If you are disciplined in dealing with your time, then others can depend on your to keep your word on being somewhere when you say you will be there.

Discipline with money will spill over into your dealings with the businesses you work for (being careful not to waste their supplies or take them for your own use without permission) as well as being understood to be a trustworthy resource to handle other people’s money when necessary.

Every discipline achieved will make you grow stronger in integrity and dependability.

But how do you gain discipline?

You start with simple habits, like making your bed every morning, or keeping your room clean. Those small gestures train you to be disciplined, giving you the means to achieving greater things, bigger goals.

Making my bed and keeping my house clean are done for me. Not for anyone else. But I do it because it is far more incentivizing to work in a decluttered environment than in chaos.

It also has the added benefit of taking the embarrassment away if a close friend were to suddenly drop by unexpectedly. The place is inviting and clean.

That is the art of discipline.

To gain discipline is a sacrifice. It is a sacrifice of impulsivity. Passions and wants take a back seat to needs and goals.

But wait – there’s more…

But even those things don’t seem to be the greatest sacrifices I have the potential to make in my life. I think that is a continual lesson of learning to live with less – to let go of my wants for the sake of those who need more.

But even those things don’t seem to be the greatest sacrifices I have the potential to make in my life.

And that lesson will continue until the day I take my last breath.

May it, in the end, benefit those who need my gift of service more than it would benefit me.

And may I become someone who reflects the light of kindness as the Creator wills each one of us to have toward one another. The light of pure love.