–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breath you can begin to calm your mind.
- Breath in by saying or thinking “I surrender all“
- Breath out by saying or thinking “All to Jesus I surrender“
-continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2
Presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice can be hard. There are times we are not even sure what God is calling us to sacrifice. There are times in our lives that we make great sacrifices, and times where we do not feel we are sacrificing as much. Times that our sacrifice does not seem as great because we love what we are doing, while others might think we are making a great sacrifice.
During this time of COVID-19 I have struggled with the sacrifice of not being able to meet with friends and family as much, and the sacrifice of not being as active in the community as I would like to be. I see this as a sacrifice to God because we are isolating ourselves out of concern for the health of others and our personal health.
During this time, when not as much is going on around me, I have been able to take more time reading the Bible and some of the books that have been on my bookshelves for some time. There have also been more times of meditation, walks in the neighborhood and setting on the beach. While this time of isolation because of COVID-19 has been a sacrifice, I have been able to use the time to listen more closely to God.
- What is God calling you to sacrifice?
- What are you doing to maintain your physical, emotional, or spiritual health?
- Does it seem like the sacrifice you are call to right now is too much for you?
-please take a moment to think about one of these questions. You might want to write your answers down.-
Take some deep breaths.
- Breath in: “I surrender all”
- Breath out: “All to Jesus I surrender”
God of life, you have called each of us to this moment in time, and have given us gifts that can be used. Help us to continue sacrificing our lives for you, and learning the lessons we need to know for the future. Amen