Self-Sacrifice and Joy, Amended

One, driving up I-95 with two screaming children on Thursday night made me wonder whether I was delusional in writing about the joy of having children. Of course, what I wrote about was the joy that comes in self-sacrifice, and the drive wasn’t exactly self-sacrificial (we were headed to Connecticut for our own pleasure, not because Penny or William had requested it!).

Two, I recognize that most of the “self-sacrifice” in my life is directed towards people who I am inclined to love–my children, family, and community. Even the high school boys in our house are “like” me. We all went to boarding school. We all are relatively high-achievers and even with our disparate cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, we all share a common experience. Jesus exemplifies another level of self-sacrifice, and he challenges all of us to follow his lead. It’s the self-sacrifice of that famous parable, the Good Samaritan (found in Luke 10:25-37). It’s the self-sacrifice of helping the one who is not like me. It is self-sacrifice that transcends boundaries and recognizes not only our common humanity, but our common nature as creatures, created “in the image of God.” I suspect that this type of self-sacrifice also brings joy. But I can’t say I live in that place yet.