The Path

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the word sacrifice.  About the path that leads to the object of my desire, of the world's desire.  The path that leads to God.  And all I can see when I think of that path is the word sacrifice, emblazoned in my mind, spelled out across the road, the sidewalk, the scenery, the goal.  

How do we show God we love Him?  This world...it's fleeting.  It's meaningless, in some ways.  In others, it's everything, right?  But the WORLD itself- with its glimmering trinkets- they don't really mean anything...and yet we become so attached...we forget our purpose-- some of us never even realize we have a purpose.  And I don't want to be attached to any of the trinkets, no matter how brightly they sparkle.  

When I applied to come serve here, a few of my friends were absolutely baffled.  Why on earth would she move to war-torn Israel, they must have asked themselves.  Why would she work her butt off to get a  Masters, and then jet off to Israel to work in something completely unrelated to her field?  I kind of always knew that I wasn't really giving much up to come...but still I guess to some small tiny degree it involved sacrifice.  I remember the day I was applying-- the day I decided to apply- I looked around my room in my comfortable Alamo-Heights apartment, with my luxurious bed, as Lindsey would always say, and my closet overflowing with clothes, and my walls decked out in picture frames and paintings, and thought...I'm going to have to give this all away or sell it before I go. And for a single moment, I hesitated.  And then I thought...if I let these things keep me from going...I'm not even worthy of the application.  And I applied.  And that was it.  From that instant I knew that I wasn't really giving anything up that was worth holding onto.

But being here has just been confirmation upon confirmation.  I sacrificed something so insignificant, some tiny portion of my (parents') wealth, and of my time, and of my being, and the reward has been more than a thousand fold.  I am so happy, so fulfilled, so alive, so FULL of love and spirit and faith and joy.  And it is such a constant reminder to me that if we are obedient, and if we give some tiny part of ourselves, God will befriend us, He will accompany us, He is more loyal than any.  And He KNOWS us and He knows what is the true source of our well-being and our happiness. And all we have to do is trust, and sacrifice, and obey.

That's the key to a happy life.  Trust in God, obedience to His commands, and sacrifice in His path.  OF this, I am sure.