Sacrifices

“When we make sacrifices, we are following the example of the Savior, who sacrificed everything in order to rescue us. The making of holy sacrifices is full of grace and truth. The willingness to put our preferences on the altar in obedience to God and service of our partner is a sacrifice filled with grace and truth—goodness and eternal vision. Our sacrifices are the key to our growth and eternal possibilities.

So it turns out that sacrifices are not sacrifices, but purchases. We “sacrifice” our puny preferences and God rewards us with eternal joy. What a bargain! In Heaven’s economy, so much is gotten for so little!”

I really enjoyed this part of the reading from Dr. H. Wallace Goddard’s book, Drawing Heaven into Your MARRIAGE. In this chapter, Dr. Goddard related modern married couples to the relationship of Adam and Eve. The above quote references a married couples’ ability and need to sacrifice their own vices and desires for the good of their relationship, much like Adam and Eve sacrificed on the Altar for the well-being of their faith and souls after being cast out of the Garden of Eden.

This analogy had me searching my own life for my pet sins that I should have sacrificed long ago. I can be quick to frustration, I am short-tempered when I hear people chew with their mouths open, and I really do not handle myself well when we are running late. I don’t like to be late! I have little patience for whining and sometimes I get upset when I find dirty laundry hiding in my children’s rooms. I voice my frustration to my family about these things often, sometimes even on a weekly basis.

However, how often do you think my sweet husband voices his frustrations over his sometimes not-so-sweet wife? Never. Actually, three times ever in the last ten years. I remember them all very well, so I can accurately and legitimately say three. THREE! I would love to say that it is only three because I never do anything to merit it, but obviously that is very far from true. So why three?

Because my husband lets things go. He is kind. He doesn’t want to hurt me. He is polite. And most of all, he puts his pet peeves over the things I do on the altar to sacrifice for the good of our marriage. My husband doesn’t hold grudges, and things just RARELY bother him to the point where he has a vocal complaint. I have heard him voice frustration with others before, but only a few times with me. That must be on the altar, too.

This was a humbling realization for me. Clearly my altar is a lot less bountiful than my amazing husbands. No, it isn’t a competition. But it really isn’t as equal as it should be either. I should be doing better. I should let things go and be willing to sacrifice more. I need to work at relaxing a bit more, so that my marriage can be blessed from both of us sacrificing together more. And like Dr. Goddard said, it really isn’t a sacrifice, as much as a purchase. I can work with my sweet husband to purchase an incredible eternity.