A Shot at Sacrifice

 Rather listen to this blog? Listen to “A Shot at Sacrifice.”

This year has been full of weird moral dilemmas for Jesus followers. Frankly, I’m exhausted from the mental onslaught of this last year.

How much should we discuss or take part in politics? Do we mask up to protect others, or does that make us seem fearful? We are told not to forsake meeting together, but what if doing so endangers the lives of others? Should we get vaccinated? How much should we fight for our rights?

I don’t want to sound flippant. These are legitimate questions, and they are also ones I’m not going to address directly - sorry. Instead, I offer you a story.

After lots of prayer and thought, I got my Moderna vaccine this month when they opened them up to teachers. I was hesitant, wanting to make sure it was safe, but also excited. In that little vial, I saw freedom from the restrictions of the last year, sure. More than that, though, I saw safety for my family.

My first shot went smoothly. I had no side effects at all, save a sore arm.

When it was time for my second shot, my husband was doing his coaching thing, so I took Micah, my five-year-old son, along with me. The entire time, he asked questions. He wanted to know where they would give me the shot, if it would hurt, if I was afraid…

The questions seemed unending, but I answered them all as honestly as I could. Micah is terrified of shots (of most medical things, really). This was a big deal for him to witness. I wanted him to understand and to see Mommy was okay.

The shot was quick, and after I had waited my fifteen minutes, we were out of there.

As it happened, the second dose packed more of a punch than the first. That night, I developed severe chills. I was nauseated, weak, achy, and fatigued. It took me another day of staying in bed before I felt up to walking around the house.

And all this time, Micah was watching- watching and thinking.

Sometime later, this conversation happened:

Micah: Mommy, does your arm hurt where you got your shot?

Me: Yes. It’s pretty sore right now, actually.

Pause, and then -

Micah: Mommy, did the shot make you sick?

Me: It did for a little bit.

Micah: But why did you have to get the shot?

Me: Because of COVID-19, remember?

Micah: Yes, but why did you get it if you knew it would hurt and you got sick?

Me: Well, mainly I did it to protect you. You, Nanny (my 87-year-old grandmother), and our other family who could get sick if they got COVID-19.

Pause again….

Micah: But why did you want to protect me and Nanny? (I feel like Micah has been in the “why” stage since he learned to talk)

Me (after a few seconds of thought): Because I love you and because it was worth it to me to hurt a little bit so you and Nanny would be safer.

Micah: Oh! So, you got your shot because you cared more about us than your arm hurting and being sick?

Me: Yes, baby. Yes, exactly.

We had a version of this conversation many more times. Micah doesn’t let things go quickly.

Thinking back on it now, I suppose there is one other reason I should have added in my response as to why I got the shot.

I also want Micah to know what it means to sacrifice for others. Our entire faith hinges on sacrifice. Everything that matters rests on Jesus’ sacrificial death, where he chose pain, torture, humiliation, and death for us...for me.

Make no mistake. His crucifixion, his act of sacrifice, was a deliberate choice. Jesus says in John 10: 17-18a, “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life- only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord…”

The choice to live sacrificially is necessary if we are to follow Jesus. That’s what we do - or at least what we should do. Every day, we attempt to live like Jesus, to be like Jesus. Jesus is so many wonderful things, but the core of all of them is His love and sacrifice for us.

In these verses, Jesus even shares that God loves him BECAUSE he willingly sacrificed his life. God loves sacrifice, I think, because it shows our heart. Personal sacrifice is an external manifestation of our internal desire to live out the greatest commandments - to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37 & 39).

These are connected ideas. Serving/sacrificing for your neighbor (i.e., any human being) honors and shows your love for God. They are two sides of the same coin. Because we love God, we obey His commands. Because we love God, we strive to live by Jesus’ example. Because we love God, we sacrifice for the good of His will and the people he loves and sacrificed his Son for.

It seems pretty simple. Simple, but not easy. Some sacrifices are small and relatively easy to make. Being possibly sick and sore for a couple of days was easy if it meant I could visit my grandmother and help keep her safe (she is vaccinated now as well!).

Other sacrifices are much harder. Giving time and money to God can be hard, especially if you don’t have much of either. It’s hard to give of yourself in relationships with people who only seem to take. Giving time to others when you don’t feel you have enough for yourself, letting your spouse pursue his/her dream while you put yours on hold, reading your Bible when so, so many tasks need attending to -- we do not need to look far for opportunities to sacrifice in our lives.

There are times when even letting my husband share my popcorn feels like a giant act of sacrifice (it shouldn’t, but I can be pretty selfish when it comes to sharing snacks. I’m working on it).

I know people are divided on whether or not to get these vaccines. For me, it was a matter of helping others. Even though I am not in a high-risk group, my family members are; many church friends are; students my husband and I teach are; little old ladies going grocery shopping with me are. Even the sweet woman who delivers my mail and Amazon packages (often directly into my arms) is high risk.

Then, of course, there is the whole idea of needing to reach herd immunity so this nasty thing ebbs away on a large scale.

So, I decided I could do this one, small thing. I could help others in this small way. I’ve had one acquaintance and one friend die of COVID-19. Die. I’ve had other friends spend months on ventilators in the hospital. These are people my age. Other families are losing income, suffering from loneliness, or just feeling overwhelmed and burdened. It’s been a rough year for everyone.

I don’t want to be the pious religious traveler who passes the beaten, dying man on the road. I want to live my life as the good Samaritan. I want to live like Jesus wants me to live. Moreover, I want my son to see sacrifice as a part of his calling, for him to know it is vital that we give to others and God.

I am no doctor, and I am no theologian. I won’t presume to tell you to get the shot or not. My opinions don’t matter anyway, really.

But, God’s do. So, I would ask this.

Before you listen to the noise of the world, will you listen to Him? God isn’t a trickster waiting to lure you into betraying your faith. He wants us to “submit to him,” and “he will make [our] paths straight” (Proverbs 3:6). While you cannot trust everything you read online, from politicians, or your buddy at work, you can always trust God’s guidance.

He may even be guiding you toward a life of sacrifice.

Are you up for that journey?