"I Never Made a Sacrifice"
David Livingstone was known for saying, "I never made a sacrifice", but those who know the story of his life know that he made many great sacrifices to do the work God had called him to do. At least they seem like sacrifices to us.
I have been thinking a lot about this lately, since I had dengue fever this past summer. One of the possible symptoms, among many, is hair loss. I was glad that I didn't experience that while I was sick, but since that time, my hair has been gradually falling out more and more. It finally got really bad and I decided to cut it short to lessen the tangle, and hopefully decrease the amount that fell out each day. I had never thought that someday I might sacrifice my hair in order to be here. Thankfully, I still have some hair on my head, and hopefully I won't have to experience going bald, but even if I did, could I say along with David Livingstone, "I never made a sacrifice?"
We have been studying through II Corinthians, and came to chapter 4, verse 16:
From this passage, I think what Livingstone was meaning, is that saying you made a sacrifice, when you have only traded something of very little value for something of very great worth, is ridiculous. It's like saying "Poor me, I had to trade in my beat-up, run down, rusted out lemon of a car for a brand new Lamborghini, what a sacrifice." If we realize the glory to be had in heaven, and know it is specifically being caused by whatever affliction we are experiencing, we would not look at our sufferings in the same way.
It's not easy to keep our eyes focused here. It's about as easy as walking on water. But by faith, we can gladly say with Mr. Livingstone, "I never made a sacrifice".
I have been thinking a lot about this lately, since I had dengue fever this past summer. One of the possible symptoms, among many, is hair loss. I was glad that I didn't experience that while I was sick, but since that time, my hair has been gradually falling out more and more. It finally got really bad and I decided to cut it short to lessen the tangle, and hopefully decrease the amount that fell out each day. I had never thought that someday I might sacrifice my hair in order to be here. Thankfully, I still have some hair on my head, and hopefully I won't have to experience going bald, but even if I did, could I say along with David Livingstone, "I never made a sacrifice?"
We have been studying through II Corinthians, and came to chapter 4, verse 16:
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light, momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison..."
From this passage, I think what Livingstone was meaning, is that saying you made a sacrifice, when you have only traded something of very little value for something of very great worth, is ridiculous. It's like saying "Poor me, I had to trade in my beat-up, run down, rusted out lemon of a car for a brand new Lamborghini, what a sacrifice." If we realize the glory to be had in heaven, and know it is specifically being caused by whatever affliction we are experiencing, we would not look at our sufferings in the same way.
It's not easy to keep our eyes focused here. It's about as easy as walking on water. But by faith, we can gladly say with Mr. Livingstone, "I never made a sacrifice".
What powerful thoughts. Thank you for sharing them. - Veronica
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