Sacrifice

It's the first week of January, which means that gyms are fuller than usual, Starbucks is seeing more "non-fat" drinks, and grocery stores are probably seeing an increase in nicotine patch sales and a decrease in cigarette sales. For a while.

I know a lot of people like to make New Years resolutions, myself included. Some have the (probably correct) mentality that if there is an area of your life that needs improvement, there's no need to wait until January 1 to take care of it. Some foresee the future failure and don't even try. They don't see the point in making an empty promise to themselves that will only disappear as the year progresses. I can respect these reasons. Really, I only make New Years resolutions for tradition's sake.

So far, I'm making good on all my resolutions. I've read the Bible everyday of 2010 so far, I've worked on Scripture memory, and I've been watching what I eat (how much, how healthy/unhealthy is it). I'm still recovering from an upper respiratory infection, but when that's cleared up, I'd love to... um, I'd like... part of me wants to start running.

There's a very simple reason these resolutions tend to be completely off the radar come March and don't resurface until January 1 the following year: resolving to change takes sacrifice. After a while of hitting the gym, it gets harder and harder to go there and give up that comfortable spot on the couch with a bag of chips and the remote. I've heard somebody say that the hardest part of going to the gym is going to the gym.

Sacrifice is by definition not easy, but we as Christians are called to sacrifice. Jesus says in Luke 9:23, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." He tells us to sacrifice ourselves--our dreams, our desires, our wants, our lives--to follow Him. And you know the best part? It's totally worth it. He asks for all of us, and in return we get Him, which is infinitely better than what earthly possessions we may have had. It's not easy. It'll hurt. But it's worth it. 


I'll try to remember this, not only in my daily walk with God, but in every aspect of my life. It was a sacrifice to go to Dunkin Donuts and get a muffin instead of a delicious doughnut. It was a sacrifice to grab the banana from QT rather than that delectable maple long john (in case you couldn't tell, I really like doughnuts). It was a sacrifice to hop on the treadmill yesterday rather than keep the recliner warm. But these small sacrifices won't matter when the scale I step on stops breathing a sigh of relief when I step off. 


Here's to less me (in more ways than one) and more Him in 2010!