God decided on a distressing way to test Abraham: he asked Abraham
to sacrifice his only son on the top of a mountain. Soon after receiving the
message, Abraham set out with his son is search of firewood and for the
designated place to build the altar. After a few days of walking, they reached
the top of the mountain. Isaac asked about the absence of a sacrificial lamb,
to which Abraham replied “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt
offering.” Just as Abraham was about to take a knife to his son, the voice of
God could be heard coming through the clouds, imploring for him to stop. Even
if he didn’t really have to sacrifice his son in the end, Abraham’s devotion was
great enough that he was willing to go through with it. For this, God declared
that Abraham’s descendants would be “as numerous as the stars in the sky” and
would bring blessings to every nation they inhabited.
In the course of our everyday lives, we end up making so
many small sacrifices—to reach a goal or maybe just to get by. Each person
defines what a sacrifice to them is, and what is just an indulgence to be given
up. All of these are true sacrifices, but we also tend to
linger on the question of what is the greatest
sacrifice a person could make. For most, it’s a person’s life and well-being; for
others, life would be meaningless if they didn’t have a certain person or
couldn’t experience something they greatly enjoy (like their children, or the
sight to read books or watch films.) I believe that what a person prioritizes
in life does have a bearing on their character, but hey, as long as your priorities
are in a somewhat sensible order, you’ll be okay.
"Bible Gateway Passage: Genesis 22 - New International
Version." Bible Gateway.
Biblica. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis22.
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