Make the Sacrifice
So, Happy Easter, everyone! Well, I know yesterday was Easter, but I’m still on an Easter high. It is one of my favorite holidays to celebrate because of its true meaning, celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus. Learning more about Jesus’ journey got me thinking about sacrifice. While Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice by giving his life, in this day and age, we cringe when we think about sacrifice. But the truth is, nothing spectacular can be reaching, the next level cant be attained, and the battle can’t be won without sacrifice. Doing this is tough, but in order for you to reach your dreams, sacrifices are necessary. So in this episode we are going to discuss a few sacrifices that you may want to consider making in order to be successful. And so I want to inspire you to make the sacrifice.
So, let’s just be honest…sacrifice sucks. I’m sure it wasn’t a fun time for Jesus when he sacrificed his life. Yall know how the truthful story goes. Jesus suffered a brutal death and sacrificed his life so that we can have life and forgiveness. His disciples sacrificed their safety, lives, and families in order to preach His gospel. There were sacrifices all around in order to achieve something much greater that we are still benefiting from over 2000 years later. So what about you? I’m sure there’s some greatness you’re trying to achieve in your life whether it’s for you, your family, your community, whoever. So what are you sacrificing to get it? If the answer is nothing then I’m gonna have to say you really aren’t trying to reach that goal, lol. Sacrifice is necessary and some of the most successful people will go on and on about all that they had to sacrifice in order to reach the top.
So let’s break down a few of the sacrifices you may need to make you that you may be making in order to reach your goal. Thankfully, we don’t have to make the sacrifice that Jesus made, but we do have to take our own journey that includes sacrifice that may not be easy, but they are so worth it.
So, sacrifice number one is TIME. Time is one of those things that we seem to never have enough of. And if you’re working toward something big, it really feels like time is moving too fast. I’m a wife, a mom of 2 energetic kids, a business owner, and a podcaster…and by the end of the day I often feel like a few hours were stolen from me. Like where did my time go? The biggest thing that you have to know and learn when it comes to time and sacrifice is that when you are trying to be great at something, you can’t do just anything with your time, you have to be intentional. My family is my first priority so when my kids are home or it’s just me and my daughter at home during the day, I have to sacrifice my time and do things that will help me achieve my goal in raising amazing, happy, well-rounded children. I can’t lay around and watch tv all day…I can’t even sit at my computer and work all day. I have to spend my time doing things that will serve my purpose, so that means we are reading, writing, playing, and taking care of the home. When I set business goals that have timelines…I have to use my time wisely again. My mom often talks about all the sacrifice it takes to raise children and she loves to say raising children takes TIME and unfortunately many people don’t sacrifice enough of it. Your time is the most precious thing you can give to someone or something. Giving your time is a testament to how important something is. So if you find yourself needing to dedicate yourself to someone or something, start with your time. Whether it be your giving your family time, your career time, or giving God your time…it is a sacrifice that is worth it.
Now let’s talk about sacrificing sleep. Yall…this is an honest struggle for me. I love my sleep, lol. But sleep is often one of the first things I find myself sacrificing when I need to dedicate myself to something. If you’re a mom you know all about those sleepless nights when your child is a baby. Losing that sleep is hard and you feel a little crazy, but it’s a sacrifice that is necessary in order to be there for someone who needs you. If you’re a student you know about those late night cram sessions. But I’ll be honest, I probably slept more than I should have in college. I slept late a lot, lol. But if you’re very studious, which I hope you are, you’re probably losing some sleep. And if you’re working on a business or a big project, you have late nights and early mornings. As I’m writing this episode I’m sacrificing my sleep by getting up early to have some quite time to write. It sucks, but it’s necessary. There is a purpose for sacrifice and me sacrificing my sleep is a clear indicator that something is important; that I respect it, that it is important to me; that it matters. That’s why no matter how tired you are, when a mom or dad hears her baby cry at 3 in the morning… she gets up to takes care of them. Sleep doesn’t matter all that matters is that the thing that is important to you is taken care of whether that be your grades, your child, your job, or even yourself. Because sometimes getting up early and going to the gym or meditating and praying is a sacrifice you make for yourself.
The next sacrifice is your social life. FOMO or fear of missing out is real…but yall, sometimes you gotta miss that party, sometimes you gotta take a rain check on that weekend trip, sometimes you gotta get rid of social media. It doesn’t mean you have to do this forever, but there are times in life where you need to sacrifice your social life a little in order to move to the next level. You can’t go out with everyone, you can’t talk on the phone for hours, you have things to do. This can be a tough one because it doesn’t just effect you. It can effect your friends and your relationships, but if your tribe is truly love you they’ll be understanding of this sacrifice. I remember when my sisters were studying for the CPA exam which is one of the toughest certification exams they really sacrificed their social life, including talking to me on the phone. We normally talk daily, but during that time, I had to be understanding that they needed their time to accomplish a goal and fortunately for them that sacrifice paid off. There are times when people’s goal is to better themselves mentally so they get off of social media. That’s a social sacrifice you make for you and it’s worth it. When sacrificing in this area you really have to give zero cares about what others think. Some people won’t get why you aren’t out and about and people may even come up with their own imaginary reasons of what’s going on with you, but just remember that’s their problem, not yours. You don’t have to explain your sacrifice to people who don’t matter. Believe me, there were plenty of people who didn’t understand Jesus and his disciples’ sacrifice of their social life and there were people who were even upset by their choices to not be around certain people but you just have to know that what you are being called to do is more important than having a social life in that moment.
Now the last sacrifice we are going to discuss is a doozy and that’s your immediate desires. Most of the time your sacrifice is leading to something that will impact you or others in the long run. We often don’t see the impact of our sacrifice immediately, but you’re constantly giving up things right now so this can make sacrifice hard. It’s hard to do something daily…to sacrifice your wants daily and not see any results in the moment. If you are working on a health goal and you are constantly sacrificing your wants by eating healthy, and sacrificing your time by meal prepping for hours every Sunday, and sacrificing your sleep by getting up early and hitting the gym…it becomes hard when you step on the scale and the numbers haven’t changed yet. You have to continue to fight against your immediate desires to see change that will happen in the future. This is when you have to remember your why. Remember why you are making all these sacrifices. Remember your goal. Remind yourself of what you want to be and where you want to be. And remember without the sacrifice there is no reward. Yes, it sucks now, but if you can just get through it, if you can just push through it…it will all be worth it.
Even as a Christian, we have to make sacrifices in our life. We can’t do any ol thing, say anything that comes to our mind, we can’t be anywhere with anybody…we have standards that were given to us and sometimes meeting that standard means making sacrifices. There are times where it may be tough, it may even feel unfair, but just like everything else, your reward from God will be worth it in the end.
Sacrifice is not easy, and it’s hardly every fun, honestly. But I do not believe that anyone was able to make it to greatness without sacrifice. Even if something was handed to them, in order to keep it sacrifices will have to be made. So I want you to ask yourself, first, what is my goal? What am I working toward? And this isn’t just about your career. This is about you as a woman, a mom, a role model also. What do you want your legacy to be. Then ask yourself, what am I giving up in order to have this. If the answer is nothing, now is the time to change that, because the reward of achieving your goals does not come without sacrifice. If God’s son, Jesus himself had to make sacrifices, then who are we to think we don’t have to?
Time, sleep, social life, and immediate desires are just a few examples of sacrifices that can be made throughout life and I’m sure we often make these sacrifices begrudgingly (I know I find myself complaining sometimes about getting up early after going to bed late or not being able to fulfill and immediate desire), but like most things, a heart of gratitude will change that. If you’re struggling with your sacrifices and feel frustrated try gratitude. Try, first, thanking God for the sacrifice of his son. Then be grateful that you get to spend time with your children. If you’re losing sleep due to having a baby, but thankful. I’m sure there is someone who wishes they had that problem. If you’re upset because you need to study and can’t go out, be grateful for the opportunities your education will bring. Choose gratitude…yes gratitude is a choice! Go listen to India Arie’s song I Choose and make the choice to be glad that you can sacrifice some of these things and begin to be thankful right now for the success and accomplishments to come for your sacrifice. I promise you, it’s not in vain.
So I hope that you feel inspired to make the sacrifice, no matter how big or how small. To know that the work you are doing today will have a great impact on your tomorrow. And to choose to be grateful for the sacrifices you get to make as they are propelling you into your next level.
So until next time, stay encouraged and inspire someone else along the way.