Sacrifice

If you are friends with me on Facebook, you know that I have been attending a Women's study at church. It's called One In A Million by Priscilla Shrier. It has been an amazing study so far.

Last night, she closed her teaching with a powerful parallel. I am going to attempt to re-tell it as she did. There wasn't a woman in our study that had a dry eye by the time she was done.

Priscilla told a story about a time she and her husband took her young sons, age 1 and 3 to Disney World. She said they were in the section where they have things for young children. There was a playground that her 3 year old son was particularly interested in. While her husband went to get something for the family to eat, she allowed her children to play on the playground. The 1 year old wasn't able to climb up to the slide on his own. So while watching the 3 year old navigate on his own, she climbed up the slide with her youngest in tow. She said that he was elated at the opportunity to slide. As she reached the bottom of the slide, she looked around for her oldest. She looked all through the play area. She began describing him to the other mothers, and they didn't know where he was. After she determined that he wasn't in that play area, she realized that her son was missing. After bursting out in tears, she informed a Disney Employee of the problem. It was then that she was surrounded by Disney Officials and was asked the questions no one ever wants to answer; What was he wearing? Do you have a picture? and so forth. Priscilla said that she was imagining the worst and the thought was horrifying. They looked for her son for an agonizing FIFTEEN minutes. Finally, Priscilla glanced up through her tears and a Disney Employee came walking with her son in hand. She ran to her little guy, scooped him up and just bawled. The young boy of course did not realize why his mother was crying. Finally she found out that he didn't see her up on the slide with his little brother so he chose to leave the play area to look for his mommy.

She said after it was all over she held both of her boys in her lap. As she cried and thanked the Lord for bringing back her oldest, the Holy Spirit spoke to her. He said "Priscilla, you couldn't live without your son for fifteen minutes. I gave my only Son to die for you. Imagine my sacrifice and how heart wrenching it was to allow my Son to DIE."

If I wasn't crying already at the thought of my own son becoming missing, it was now at the thought that my God gave HIS SON Jesus Christ to die for me. What a Sacrifice. All for me. And for you. And for everyone else.

Romans 10:9-10

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord" and believe in your hear that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."