What matters most to us takes the most sacrifice from us.
It was May 1927.
On a dark & damp New York morning, a single engine monoplane bounced into the air at muddy Roosevelt Field, barely clearing the trees at the end of the runway
It’s pilot, Charles Lindbergh, was alone. Over the next 33 hours, Lindbergh did what no one thought possible — a solo, non-stop flight from New York to Paris.
The press was in a frenzy. The world was shocked. Lindbergh was the first global celebrity. He was 25; the same age as Justin Bieber.
Lindbergh got to Paris by doing what none of his rivals would do: sacrifice. Of all the attempts to get to Paris, Lindbergh was the only solo attempt. Some tried to take passengers in luxurious large planes. Not Lindbergh. He didn’t take a radio, or even a parachute. “Save weight, more fuel” was the motto.
“I resolved to know nothing among you except Christ, and Him crucified” — Paul, I Corinthians 2.2
Read Paul’s words again. The apostle was — like Lindbergh — incredibly clear about his mission: that everyone should hear and know Jesus Christ. Everything passed through that filter of mission.
Paul was someone with a downright dazzling intellect; to hold back and restrict his knowledge was a sacrifice. But his sacrifice pointed to his love for his Savior and his neighbor.
A lack of personal sacrifice in our lives often points to a lack of commitment. Sacrifice is not about making our lives hard, it’s about making our lives matter.
Many of us are distracted not because we have a problem saying no, but because we haven’t given our yes to anything worthwhile. Christians are often encouraged to say “no” to sin. Maybe we’ve become so focused on saying “no” to the wrong things that we’ve forgotten our journey began with a “yes”.
Ditch the radio. Ditch the parachute. Ditch your intellect. Ditch your pride. Ditch your comfort. But let’s make sure we actually take the flight & follow Jesus into the world.
Jared Stacy 