The mentality of sacrifice is not a mentality of sorrow. The life of giving is not an empty life. I'm not writing about sacrifice because I think that moms as a whole are not run down enough or tired enough or working hard enough.

I write about it because it is the first step to encouragement to clearing your mind to being fulfilled.

Scripture is very clear in this.

If you seek to be full, give.

The verse about the first being last

and the last being first is not talking about

how all the winners will be losers at the end.

As though life were a foot race and at the end a little surprise Switcheru happens,

the officials declare, actually this was not about being first. We just wanted to see who was

the slowest and give them the prize. Rather, this verse is talking about those who

seek their own interests first. Those who put themselves above others will be the last. Those

who value themselves the least will be the most valued. There isn't any way to do this other

than the hard way.

Giving with a lot of enthusiasm for watching yourself in the mirror

isn't really giving.

It is just watching yourself.

Sacrifice isn't really sacrifice, if it involves only doing what you want.

The point I want to make is that this is not my tricky innovation.

It is a principle of Christian living.

It is easy for us to miss here and to be offended by this kind of talk because it is not the way the world thinks.

Most of us grew up in a culture that despises this kind of thinking and it may not come naturally to us but we need to have the

language of scripture to find our way of thinking and not truisms from the world.

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