Being a Family Is...Part 4

Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 here.


Being a Family is...Sacrificing.


Our culture is constantly telling us what we deserve, what we have a right to have, and why we shouldn't have to share that with anyone or anybody. Wrong! Life is not, nor has it ever been about just you.


This is especially true in a family. A well functioning family cannot exist without everyone doing their part and being willing to give of themselves. This may mean giving up your bedroom to move in with your sisters (true story), or trading out some Netflix time by yourself to read Gigi books to your little sister and ending up lightheaded because you don't do anything halfway.


Sacrificing means that your dad gets up every morning and goes to work, sometimes to a job he doesn't like. It means that your mom is often the last person to bed because she was doing just one more load of laundry. It means that your older brother brings his laptop into the living room while you all have a movie on that he may not be a fan of, but he knows that you like his company.


It means playing two hours of Battlefield with your little brother even though the height of the computer desk makes your right arm go numb. It means staying up WAY later than you intended so that you can help your brother come up with ideas for his latest LEGO contest.


Sacrificing means that when you ask your little sister to get you a drink of water she does so with a smile and a dimple (SO CUTE). It means that your older brother not only takes you out to a movie and pays for your ticket, but also buys you ice cream afterwards.


Sacrificing means that your sister loans you one of her cutest skirts or a new pair of earrings she got, because you have been eyeing them for weeks. (Currently enjoying the benefits of that skirt as I write.)


Sacrificing means that you choose to love your parents even when they make mistakes that leave you feeling broken and like your dreams are dead on the floor. Sacrificing means dying to your flesh and choosing not to give into the deep feelings of anger that you have towards someone you love.


Sacrificing means that your family continues to love and encourage you even when you feel empty and like you've got nothing left inside to give, when you feel like your light has died and you are just an unlit candle.


Sacrificing means being real, and opening yourself up, forgetting your pride, and allowing other people to see the broken, sometimes ugly, sometimes beautiful thing that is your soul.


Jesus sacrificed his own, pure, snow-white self for a whole bunch of ugly, bleeding, hateful people. Can I do any less for the people who I love, and who love me the most?