I used to think that I knew what 'sacrifice' meant.  I used to think that this was noble thing.  Giving up something, especially something cherished, maybe even one's own life, for the good of someone else -- what could be more noble than that?

God's grace and determined practice of the 12 steps and the Course in Miracles have taught me that my idea was a long way from the true meaning of sacrifice.  Thinking about this topic, I can see that what has happened to me is that my whole mind, my sanity, has been restored to me.  My old definition of sacrifice was the view from a split mind -- the ideas that giving something meant I lost it, that I could give to someone besides (and therefore outside) myself, and my own denial of my own 'suspicious to vicious' motives for the so-called giving.  Considering the idea of sacrifice from the view of whole-mindedness, it is now clear to me that I have only one choice available to me -- the experience of everything or the experience of nothing.  And only one of these choices involves sacrifice, being of course the sacrifice of everything, all of God's gifts and my true inheritance of peace and happiness, for nothing.  Seen from a reasonable whole mind, this isn't really a choice at all, is it?

For me, my growth is always greatly accelerated when I practice extremely rigorous honesty.  I need to do this often, because that suspicious-to-vicious mindset is never far away.  I think it's a good practice for us to never be too trusting of our own motives.  Any time there is the least hint of a feeling of sacrifice, any time an action is anything less than joyful, we need to look at our motivation.  Maybe we'll go ahead with that action anyway, but it will hopefully come from an open mind in receipt of grace instead of the nothingness of resentment.

"Let no despair darken the joy of Christmas, for the time of Christ is meaningless apart from joy.  Let us join in celebrating peace by demanding no sacrifice of anyone, for so you offer me the love I offer you.  What can be more joyous that to perceive we are deprived of nothing?"

Peace and Love and Joy to you!!

Peg L.