Abraham and Isaac

God ordered Abraham to take Isaac, Abraham's only son, and offer him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains in the land of Mori'ah. The next day, Abraham took his son, two men, and a donkey, and begin the journey to the place of offering. On the third day, Abraham saw the place and told the men to wait with the donkey while his son and him went to pray. Isaac asked where the lamb was for the offering and Abraham lied and told him that God will provide the lamb. Upon reaching the spot for the offering, Abraham built an altar, bound Isaac, and laid him on the altar. As Abraham was about to stab his only son, God told him to stop. God congratulated Abraham for being a true believer and offering everything, even his son, to the Lord. God made a ram appear, which Abraham then sacrificed to the Lord. Abraham and his kin were blessed from that point on.

True sacrifice, the act of giving up a thing greatly valued or prized, is not something I can say I'm closely acquainted with, being only 17. Sacrifices at my age generally mean giving up time, as opposed to the offering of children in the story of Abraham and Isaac. I can say that true sacrifice is supposed to be selfless, though, and that I hope to one day be able to handle the responsibilities of an action like that.