Five Minute Friday-Sacrifice

Five minutes..prompt word “Sacrifice”…GO.

I remember the first time I saw the Mel Gibson film, “Passion of the Christ.” Every part of that movie brought history to life. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on that cross impacted me. If I close my eyes and you do, it paralyzes and delivers a punch to the gut, still.

I was never the sacrifice for the world, but I know what it is to be a sacrifice as a child threatened with the death of her family if I didn’t comply with an evil repeat sexual offender. This experience broke my sweet innocent spirit, changed my mental health forever, and took years to overcome. (Make NO mistake, I did overcome the pain and shame of abuse). I wanted to protect my family, so I lived in silent terror. The man used his Vietnam war stories of killing, to heighten my fear. I shake my head now, thinking about it all.

I love Jesus more because I lived this childhood tragedy. He died for me. Those beatings, the ridicule, the lies, and distrust and disloyalty of the crowd at this feet baffle me. In love, he chose to give his life as those he died for shouted for his death. This moment in history marks the change for all time. Do we comprehend the depth of his love today?

I could go on, but I feel I should leave it right there. If you haven’t considered it lately, take time to digest it now. Go back and read that fateful few days, and pray about it.