Lent Day 11: Sacrifice vs. Priority

There is a fine line between sacrifice and priority.  Sometimes, that line is so blurry that the two cannot be distinguished.  Both can go hand in hand also; one can have a certain priority that sacrifices something else on the agenda.  For example, my priority today was spending time with my boyfriend and his parents; I sacrificed study time in order to fulfill my priority.  It’s not that often that I am able to come home to North Carolina, so I highly value the time that I do get with them.  Now back to the point . . .

Here’s the question: Is spending time with God a priority, or is it a sacrifice?  For many it is subconsciously considered a sacrifice.  I don’t believe that’s how it should be.

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, sacrifice means “destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else; something given up or lost.”  Priority is defined as “a preferential rating, especially one that allocates rights to goods and services usually in limited supply; something given or meriting attention before competing alternatives.”  (Note: I only used the definitions of these words that were pertinent.  I did not include all definitions.)  The definitions are pretty clear, so why is one so commonly mistaken for the other?  I think the most common error of the definition (at least in my life) is mis-defining what should be a priority as a sacrifice because one’s priorities are “out of whack.”

I am guilty of viewing spending time with God a sacrifice rather than a priority.  This might be the first time I’ve actually admitted that to myself though.  Praying or reading the Bible sometimes happened only in “emergency” situations, times when I absolutely needed God to intervene in a situation.  If I was too busy with school or something else on my damaged priority list, God was placed on the back burner.  If I sat down and spent some time reading the Bible or praying, I was losing time doing other things I thought I needed to be doing.  Many days in my life have passed without talking with God at all.  It’s easy to get caught up in what is going on and make everything else in life a priority because we take for granted the fact that God loves us and is always with us, even if we fail to recognize or thank Him for any of it.

At the beginning of 2013, I made a decision to read the Bible daily.  So far, I have been faithful to that commitment (and plan to continue doing so).  It has become something I look forward to every day.  I have even started multiple devotionals because I find myself wanting more.  I have mentioned in other posts about the frustration of feeling like I can’t spend the amount of time with God that I want.  That’s proof to me that God has switched from being a sacrifice to a priority, and He is quickly climbing the list.

Lent is traditionally viewed as sacrificing something for 40 days before Easter in order to spend more time with God.  I think I sacrificed my messed-up priority list.  I gave it over to God so that He could rearrange it into the priority list it should be . . . with Him sitting at the top.  Once I relinquished my grasp on what I thought I needed to be doing, everything did not immediately get easier.  It took some discipline to stay true to the commitments I made, but learning discipline in the commitments has also translated to discipline in other areas of my life also.  The differences in my wants and needs have become clearer.  The more I allow God to rearrange my life and my priority list, the easier everything is becoming.  I live a life that is much freer than it has been. 

Since starting this blog series, God has become even more of a priority.  The more I continue with this blog and reading the Word daily, the more I yearn for it daily.  I enjoy spending this time with God and watching His Word really come alive in my life.  It’s amazing what God reveals to me when I choose to sit and listen.  It’s gotten to the point now that something feels wrong if I don’t spend time with Him. (Well, that’s because something is wrong when I don’t spend time with Him. Duh, Dana.) 

I know I’ve said this before, but it really is incredible to see Word more alive and God more present in my daily life.  My priorities are aligning with how God wants them to be, and He is seated at the top of the list.  Spending time with God may mean I sacrifice something else during the day, but that’s ok with me.  Nothing could ever be more important than God.  He is the One who gave me life and the One who continuously blessed me and renews my spirit. 

Ask yourself if God is a priority or sacrifice in your life.  You might be surprised (as I was) to find out the answer.

Lent Day 5: Middle Road



This video was shared by a friend a few days ago.  Even amidst all of Francis Chan’s humor, it was immediately convincting.

 

 

Guilty.

 

I want to be radical, but I think I’ve been walking down that confabulated middle road that really doesn’t exist.  I’m not trying to make an excuse, but being busy with school and other things does make it difficult to live a radical life. 

 

There are so many things that take over my mind because I’m on a schedule to get things accomplished.  For example, I have a final exam for three courses tomorrow afternoon, two new classes to start on Tuesday, and a meeting Thursday afternoon, among other things.  There is so much pressure to do everything well.  I don’t mean being perfect, but just doing things well.  If I don’t do well on the exam, my final course grades will reflect it.  If I am not prepared for lectures this week, it will make it more difficult to catch up later. 

 

I do frequently struggle with not being able to give as much of my time to God as I want.  It frustrates me often, but I really don’t have a way to change my schedule at the moment without having some consequence.  In order to stay in school, I must pass classes and the COMLEX exam in June.  In order to pass, it is necessary to study and learn the material.  That means that I have to spend time studying instead of doing what I want.  However, I also know that all of this is for the purpose to which God has called me and He will help me through this.  Also, medical school is preparing me for service to God through medicine, which makes it necessary. 

 

It’s a bit of a Catch-22.  That’s why I feel like I take the middle road at times.  There are days that I feel so close to God and spend much more time with him than usual.  Then there are days that are spent studying or sitting in lecture a lot.  I haven’t quite figured out the whole being a radical in every aspect of my life.  Like most everything else, it is a process.  It’s a journey I am glad to be on because I know I am walking with God.  I am still learning to let Him lead in everything . . . down the narrow path.