What Do You Make Sacred?

The word “sacrifice” comes from two Latin roots – sacer, meaning “sacred” or “holy” and faciō, “to do” or “make” – so quite literally, “to make holy or sacred”. So what does sacred mean? Beyond the religious definitions, it simply means to be highly valued and important. To be set apart for a higher or greater purpose.

So when we make a sacrifice, we are choosing to make something sacred in our life, setting it apart as of higher value or for a higher purpose. When we give up the cheesecake after dinner, we are setting our long term health as a higher priority, a greater purpose, than the temporary enjoyment of the tasty dessert. However, the opposite is also true. When we cave in and succumb to a temporary urge or temptation, we are then assigning a higher value to a temporary pleasure, sacrificing the long term for the quick fix.

Every day you make sacrifices. When you choose an action you are assigning priority and value to the elements of your life. You hardly go a moment without sacrifice: every choice, every decision. Even when you avoid a decision, you choose to be indecisive and a sacrifice is made. The question is, are you making the right sacrifices? Are you attaching proper importance to the moments and opportunities that make up your life? What are you making sacred in your life?

We live in a microwave society, a buy-now and pay-later mindset, where the future is passed over for the present. Choose to be different. Refuse to sacrifice the road ahead for the dirt currently under your feet.

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