Sacrifice
Sacrifice is a powerful word. By definition it means, "the act of giving up something that you want to keep especially in order to get or do something else or to help someone."
As an athlete, when I hear the word sacrifice, my mind immediately thinks of hard work, dedication, and desire. I think of the time and effort that coaches and players put in to the sport they love and the people they love to be around. Athletes sacrifice their bodies, their social agendas, their sleep, and their time... all to make themselves the best they can be. I think of Caroline Doty, #5, who just graduated from UCONN and played basketball their for 5 years. She sacrificed so much to play the sport she loved. She even sacrificed the possibility of never playing again, by getting out on the court before her ACL recovery was complete. That's how much she loved(s) the game and her team. As an athlete, if you're not willing to sacrifice a little part of your life for your team then you might as well not be playing. Every fiber of your being has to scream, "WE are in this together. WE will overcome the obstacles. WE will love each other like a family. I will sacrifice my time and my social agenda for you." Sacrifice is extreme.
As a Christian, though, sacrifice by definition paints a little bit different picture. As a Christian, sacrifice is Jesus Christ. It's living a perfect and blameless life. It's raising the dead and healing the sick. It's making the blind, see and the lame, leap. It's turning water into wine and feeding thousands a little boy's lunch. It's being at the top of the roster, and scoring the most, but asking to be 6th man. Sacrifice is doing all of that and being crucified to a cross, spit at, pierced, mocked, and rejected...all so the starters can be worth something one day. In other words, all that so humanity can live eternally one day, if they choose to follow the 6th man on the bench. That is sacrifice. Sacrifice is powerful. Sacrifice is love.
As an athlete, when I hear the word sacrifice, my mind immediately thinks of hard work, dedication, and desire. I think of the time and effort that coaches and players put in to the sport they love and the people they love to be around. Athletes sacrifice their bodies, their social agendas, their sleep, and their time... all to make themselves the best they can be. I think of Caroline Doty, #5, who just graduated from UCONN and played basketball their for 5 years. She sacrificed so much to play the sport she loved. She even sacrificed the possibility of never playing again, by getting out on the court before her ACL recovery was complete. That's how much she loved(s) the game and her team. As an athlete, if you're not willing to sacrifice a little part of your life for your team then you might as well not be playing. Every fiber of your being has to scream, "WE are in this together. WE will overcome the obstacles. WE will love each other like a family. I will sacrifice my time and my social agenda for you." Sacrifice is extreme.
As a Christian, though, sacrifice by definition paints a little bit different picture. As a Christian, sacrifice is Jesus Christ. It's living a perfect and blameless life. It's raising the dead and healing the sick. It's making the blind, see and the lame, leap. It's turning water into wine and feeding thousands a little boy's lunch. It's being at the top of the roster, and scoring the most, but asking to be 6th man. Sacrifice is doing all of that and being crucified to a cross, spit at, pierced, mocked, and rejected...all so the starters can be worth something one day. In other words, all that so humanity can live eternally one day, if they choose to follow the 6th man on the bench. That is sacrifice. Sacrifice is powerful. Sacrifice is love.
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