The horses taught me yet another lesson recently. For some time now I’ve longed to have a horse to ride and found one easily enough through connections. It was of a breed which I’ve never liked. Still, I though, “how bad can a Finnish horse be”, and tried it out, and begun to hire it against my better judgement. It only took one solo ride to realize this was NOT the desire of my heart. Yes, I wanted a horse, but not just any. I guess I’m becoming a person who’d rather go without, than make do with a mere substitue.
I always though “making do” and sacrificing were something to strive for.
C.S. Lewis writes that being selfless and forsaking things it not the most important virtue. Love is. In order love abundantly, one might indeed be forced to forsake much. Forsaking has no meaning in it self, it is not worth striving for in itself. Now Love itself, and the Beloved, are worth forsaking things for.
It’s the same thing with pursuing the desires of one’s heart. The pursuit of one’s heart’s desires will cause one to sacrifice a great deal of things and perhaps one self, but nevertheless (self)sacrifice in it self brings no glory nor happiness. Sacrifice only becomes meaningful if it is a mean of pursuing that which one’s heart desires. (Be it a truly beautiful lively horse, like the one above. Tame through choise.)
The Psalmist says the Lord will give me the desires of my heart – and my sister says I’m worth enough to demand the very best. I needn’t be content with mere contentment. I needen’t live a lesser life, sacrificing for the sake of sacrificing,;I MAY pursue and fill my life with the desires of my heart. Jesus says we should forsake our lives and thus find life. Well I’ve given my heart and life to Him, and He has taken out the stone heart and given me a new heart. Isn’t then that new heart on which He has written His law, a guide worth listening to?!
Sacrifice for its very own sake leads to stagnation. Sacrifice, as a mean of pursuing ones’ heart’s desire, however, is an empowering thing.
“Without vision the people perish” (Proverbs).
