Sacrifice for Family
The most important story from the Bible is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for his people. Many of these people did not understand him, did not like him, and wanted him crucified.
The central concept behind the sacrifice of Christ is that he made a sacrifice that we could not make. In the same way, many parents sacrifice for their kids, when the kids are in the vulnerable stages of their lives.
My parents immigrated here 30 years ago.
- My father would work graveyard shifts at a 1-star motel, and had to deal with suspicious people coming to the gates. He tells a story where one guy came to the front desk and intimidated him to give up 2 days’ wages.
- My mother had a professor degree which wasn’t recognized in our new country, so she waitressed for $1/hour at hole-in-a-wall restaurants. She mentioned there was one regular customer that came to eat everyday, but never tipped. One day, she got so frustrated that she refused to serve him. She always regretted that because that customer was also poor, who worked a call center job and had no family.
Growing up with immigrant parents, we children often don’t understand them, don’t like them, and might even want them crucified. Yet they sacrifice their selves for children know not what they do.
Marriage is sacrifice between 2 people, and sacrifice for the family.
Life only really starts when we start serving others.
—from the book Unbroken Bonds of Battle
In the Gospel, only as Christ revealed himself to his followers gradually over time and his disciples revealed his story in the Bible, are God’s children drawn closer to God and feel gratitude for the divine. In the same way, I encourage you to tell your own stories to your loved ones, or ask for stories from your parents, so that you draw closer to those around you.