https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/sacrifice/

Sacrifice. It’s a word I know well. A theme that permeated my upbringing and is very much second nature.

To me though it means to love.

It’s easy to see the innate struggle behind sacrifice. It is to take something, something of value from yourself for some greater purpose. Some sacrifices are bigger than others, and when it’s purpose is to gain in some way from it. It’s exchanging, a highly personal one.

For me, my greatest sacrifices have been for happiness, not my own, but for the happiness of others.  It’s almost unfair, though, because, it is second nature to me, that sacrifice doesn’t have had the bite it usually does.

It’s so obvious for me to do it that it can become a problem. Sacrifice has to have meaning and purpose to everyone involved.  It runs into trouble when I sacrifice for no reason so that things can be a little bit easier. It becomes too frequent, almost expected, the sacrifice becomes what I am rather than what I chose to do.  I had fallen victim to this many times over, sacrificing myself for the sake of others when not required.

It’s because for me, it’s is a giving of myself, giving my time and things.  It is making the decision to do something that isn’t the best for me because I could do more for other people.  I sacrifice because it means part of me becomes part of someone else life.  It’s like giving something away to end up with more.  I will always sacrifice because it’s good for me and makes the world around me a better place.