Skip to main content

The Sacrifice

This morning I reached for the roast beef, and lifted it out of its package, and placed it in the hot electric skillet. As it sizzled away, I noticed my finger tips. They were sticky. I looked down at them and they were red with the blood from that roast.

I stood there at the kitchen counter, squeezing them together. Opening them, then shutting them together. As I worked them back and forth, my mind traveled to two special words in the English vocabulary.  Heart and Love.

When I stood there at the kitchen sink, looking at my finger tips, covered with that blood, I thought of sacrifice. Then I thought of the heart. Then of that beautiful word love. To me blood specks of sacrifice. When I think of sacrifice I think of pure love flowing from the heart.

But this morning I thought of something else. As I looked at MY finger tips. covered with blood, I started to remember some very special personal sacrifices given just for me.  I thought that to make those sacrifices, there had to be a true love flowing from a tender and true heart. Love is a beautiful thing. Love can do beautiful things to another's heart. Love can build bridges where nothing else can. Love can reach the very depth of a cold heart. Love can turn your world to sunshine and joy.

The greatest sacrifice ever made to man, was from God Himself. It came from heaven to me. As I stood there in the kitchen, I thought of God. I wondered how He felt when He said good-bye to His Son and sent Him down to me for a few years. I wondered if He, like me, would of felt the emptiness of Jesus absence? I'm sure He did. There would of been a emptiness there in heaven. Jesus was gone away. I wondered if God thought about the day His Son would come back again. Back to sit beside Him in heaven.

I thought of the sacrifice of heaven when those men took God's Son and hung Him on that old rugged cross. I thought of the heart of a Father, as He watched His Son that day. I thought of the pain it would of cost God to turn His face from Jesus for just a little while. And as I stood there by that kitchen sink, looking at the tips of my fingers, my heart filled all up with love to think God sacrificed so much. He was willing to be lonesome. Jesus was willing to leave "home" for just a little while. And they were willing to do all of this for me. A tiny little speck here in the world that they had made.

As I continued to think of this subject all day, other pictures came to my mind. I was taken, through my minds eye, to the battle fields of World War 1 and 2. I was taken to the battle fields of the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Civil War. I thought of sweethearts saying good bye, or a mother standing at the mailbox at the end of the lane, reading a letter from her son who was fighting on a battle field, far from home. I thought of a father kneeling beside the old bed, tears streaming down his face, as he prayed for the son who had went off to war. I thought of a mother, a sweetheart, a wife, walking slowly to the door, opening it and handed a piece of paper, with those final words. I thought of the reunion of happy soldiers with their loved ones, as they came home. I saw, in my minds eye, flag covered caskets, little children holding little American flags.

And as I thought of my finger tips, I thought: "And to think these brave men and women fought for me. These sweethearts, wives, fathers and mothers, were willing to sacrifice for me. They were willing to let him go for me. They were willing to say good bye, for just a little while, or for ever... just for me.

Then my mind went to my own dining room table. At noon, my husband reached his farmers hand out to me and I took hold of it, we bowed our heads and he returned thanks for our food. As I pictured those rough calloused hands of my husband, my heart melted, with love for this man. For all the sacrifice he has done for me. For all the times he has showed his love for me, in his quiet gentle way.

I have watched as those hands hammered nails into a 2 x 4, tighten a barb wire to a old hedge post, gently cleaned the nose of a new born calf, and held a wet, slimy baby pig, then placing it beside mothers dinner plates. I have watched as those hands held his new born child to his chest. I watched as those hands reached down to take the small hand of his grandchild. I felt those arms around me, holding me close as I stood beside my fathers casket. I felt those arms around me, assuring me that we would make it, as time after time we stood watching as another rain cloud passed us by.

I watched as my husband drove the tractor around and around the wheat fields, planting yet another crop. I watched as he bid for an old tractor, at the auction, knowing it would do, because he didn't want me to have a debt over my head. I  watched him walk slowly into our living room, his arm behind his back, and a shy smile on his lips, as he held out that bouquet of roses he surprised me with... just once.

Yes...while I stood there this morning, at the kitchen sink, squeezing my finger tips together, back and forth, I remembered....I remembered what a luck girl I really am. I remembered all the sacrifices men and women alike, have been willing to make...just for me, and I'm thankful.

Knowing the cost that came because love flowed from the heart of God and these brave men and women and my husband, I can only give of myself to another.  That's how love works, isn't it?  It's like a pebble. Someone throws it into the water and it sends out ripples....going on and on and on...out into that vast ocean we call life.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Heart Love Story

Our bodies are made so magnificent. It is beyond words how each part works together, allowing us to laugh, cry, love, feel, smell and enjoy this wonderful world of beauty. I don't know about the rest of you, but my little mind is very busy! Every minute it is thinking. It goes here and it goes there, trying to find thoughts to run through my being. I was told to set my timer for 30 seconds and see if I could stop thinking. Guess what? I couldn't!! My mind just kept on going, and going.  In my case, a lot of times these things are negative, things that make me worry. Things that look so big and ugly. Things that can scare me.  There are so many things happening around us these days. Bad things. Shootings, hurricanes, wild fires, earthquakes, wars, sad experiences that happen right in our own life.  So many bad things that could overtake my whole being. Yes, my little mind is a busy little fellow. But you know what? Deep inside of me lays another little being. I like ...

Blue Skies and Sunshine

Blue skies are up above....the sun is bright on my face....happy birds are singing their song.... and my heart is happy.... Well I took the old axe out of the pick-up bed this morning and placed it back in its place there in the feed shack. Hung my old winter chore coat in the back of the closet, and put away my long johns. Sixty seven little calves run everywhere out there in the cow pasture. Their little tails straight back....running for all their worth. Over on a hill away from all the rest, a momma has just given birth to a new, wet, slick, black little fellow. It tries to get up but....whoops....down it goes. It tries again, its back legs are straight and its nose in the dirt, It wobbles and stands. Momma licks it and down it goes once more. Keep trying little guy and you'll get it. Overhead the skies are a deep blue and not a cloud in sight. The bare trees stand still, casting shadows on the ground. On their branches you can see little red bumps ...

Thank Goodness Hubby Can Cook!

Some of us are born a female, but that sure doesn't mean we can cook! No sir!  Thank goodness it is arranged that we become the bride of a cook! Otherwise, I don't know, it could be bad. Last night I waddled out to the kitchen around 8:00, opened the refrigerator door and started to dig through the jars, milk jugs, apples, oranges, dressings, and whatever else was in there, to find something that would met my appetite.  My hubby was sitting quietly at the table, reading the Kansas Farmer, enjoying his perfectly made supper of scrambled eggs, two perfectly cooked pieces of bacon, and a beautiful golden toasted piece of homemade bread. Finally I spotted three baby pieces of sausages that had gotten shoved back behind the celery and carrots.  "Now these look good" I thought to myself, taking them out of their zip lock bag and taking a bit out of one. "Don't you think you should warm them up a bit in the microwave first," came the words from hubby as h...