We read about animal sacrifice in the Old Testament, and it feels foreign and a little strange.
But the principle of it should feel at least somewhat familiar.
The Lord has always taught that sacrifice is necessary for our spiritual well-being and our remembrance of who He is and what He has given for us (see Moses 5:4-8).
Without sacrifice, we cannot know what is truly important to us, what actually owns our hearts.
Without sacrifice, we cannot understand who He is nor become like Him, because sacrifice is at the core of His character.
When animals meant food and survival, being asked to sacrifice the best of them was a serious test of faith and dedication.
I read this recently and it changed how I see sacrifice now:
‘Our limited attention budget forces us to make choices, and those choices both reveal our values and create our characters. We can say that we value an almost infinite number of people and things, and we might even believe it. But we can only dedicate our attention to a few of them—and those few things determine who we become …When a family’s welfare depended on livestock and crops, taking a bull or a lamb to sacrifice was a significant choice made with scarce resources. In a society where our most valuable resource is attention, giving our focused attention to God requires the same sacrifice.’ (Michael Austin, https://www.wayfaremagazine.org/p/the-sacrament-of-attention?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web)
When the Lord says that what He now wants us to sacrifice are our hearts and spirits, I think this is a good measure of what that looks like and how seriously we take His admonition.
Our time and talents, our thoughts and self-focused desires, laid on the figurative altar as our offering.
How much or how little depends on how much attention and intention we are willing to give. Our test of faith and dedication.
It costs something.
But a sacrifice without cost is not really a sacrifice at all.
It is (and has always been) an opportunity and a benefit to us, even when it doesn’t feel that way.
Because it allows us to let go of those things that don’t serve our best, eternal interests; to put worldly things in their proper, temporary perspective, and focus our hearts on the things that matter most and longest.
The gift we give in recognition of the greatest Gift ever given, and the great gifts anticipated that never end.
And we learn, in the process, that the giving is a gift in itself back to us.
Like all things the Lord gives.
