The Law of Sacrifice....

I have struggled with the Law of Sacrifice ever since I understood the story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac.

I still don't get it.

Well, at least not in the typical way.

The whole idea of sacrifice has that ring of killing one's animals or loved ones to appease the Gods in hopes of less natural disasters. Or giving premiere foods and treasures to various deities to be worthy of more blessings.

I see "sacrifice" differently.

The idea behind the word sacrifice is actually... "to make sacred."

Now this I can understand. In fact, I love this idea.

Regardless of one's religion or faith tradition or philosophical beliefs we can each understand the idea of bringing into our lives something more lovely and powerful than the routine and mundane of life.

The idea of making life sacred gives me a sense of bringing holiness or goodness into the world. Rather than diminish our potential and glory, making life sacred creates the idea of bringing into being the totality of what is beautiful in each of us.

Making life sacred means existing in gratitude to God or the universe that has brought us to existence. It means giving our lives to the sacred unfolding of awareness and consciousness. It means feeling in the ordinary, the depth of energy that brought everything forth.

Let me give a few examples...

We can unconsciously eat whatever seems tempting regardless of its nutrients, without even thinking of the miracle of the transformation of energy that is creating us.... OR we can make eating sacred by taking a moment to contemplate the incredible process of life.

We can hurry through the day worrying about traffic, bills, our car problems... or we can periodically experience those moments of silence where we see ourselves as part of a grand story unfolding by the minute.

We can treat each other as competitors, animals, beings to hurt, use, or ignore.... or we can remember the gift of life and the common need we each have to love and be loved, as we try to manage a difficult journey.

To make sacred means bringing into our minds and hearts a greater awareness of our existence, and with that knowledge, sacrifice our lives, or rather....

Make our lives sacred.