The Sac Fly

When you love someone or something you make sacrifices. In baseball, hitters sacrifice potentially getting a hit, in hopes of advancing runners on base. On a deeper level, I believe the greatest example of sacrifice comes from God sending His Son to die, so we could have eternal life with Him. However, I think that humans demonstrate acts of sacrifice in every day life. This week, my dear friend, Emily, is showing it to me in abundance.

For the past 3 years, it's been a given that I will visit Bart and Emily during my Spring Break. When I found out they were moving to Arizona, I was excited to visit a new part of the country. I also thought I might get to see some early live baseball, since teams do spring training in Arizona.  In September, when she told me she was pregnant, I quickly did the math to realize her due date would fall perfectly in line with my Spring Break. I was hesitant to ask if she still wanted me to visit for a week. Before I could ask, she told me she still expected me to stay with them.

Now that I'm here, I see, and feel, the sacrifices Bart and Emily are making by allowing me to stay with them. In approximately 24 hours, Bart and Emily will become a family of three. They could easily have requested that I not come visit them this year, giving them their last days as a couple to themselves. But they didn't. They sacrificed those precious days to welcome me into their home. Bart is also graciously giving up time with his wife, for me to have time with my lifelong friend.

Emily has also done her best to show me a little bit of Arizona in the few days she has until going to the hospital. While we have done some house cleaning, grocery shopping, and other expectant mother essentials, she's still made time to show me around. Once again, she's sacrificing her time for me.

I'm blessed with friends who remind me of the eternal sacrifice we have been given. I'm thankful for a little glimpse, shown to me by friends here on earth, of the love Jesus has for us. I'm glad for the deeper meaning of sacrifice, and the ones a lot more dependable than that of the baseball sac fly. Tomorrow will be an extremely exciting day, but for now I'll soak up today. Today I'll choose to be thankful for sacrifices and the time I've been given with dear friends.