Abraham and Isaac

Abraham and Isaac

Abraham was the first of four Patriarchs known to Christianity. He had a son, Isaac, and so as a test of faith of sorts, God tells Abraham to take Isaac to a mountain. There, he’s to set up an altar to God and offer him up as sacrifice to Him. Abraham, so obedient, trusts in God and shows up at the mountain and does as he’s told. He even makes Isaac carry the wood where he’s to be sacrificed. After Isaac questions the whereabouts of the animal they were to offer up to God. Abraham responded that God would provide and continued up the mountain. Just as it was all about to go down, an angel shows up and stops Abraham. Abraham is then blessed and his family is promised prosperity for his family and descendants for his Faith in God.

Out of the context of the Bible, sacrifice is defined as “the act of giving up something that you want to keep especially in order to get or do something else or to help someone.” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) I know of a mother who put her children (both under the age of 10) on a plane to the United States. Without papers, without much of anything except each other. She did this knowing that once here, there was no way the government could just send them back and that the government would have to take care of them. She knew that they would be better off here in the United States, but she didn’t know when she would get to see them again… or even talk to them. I see that as true sacrifice. This mother gave up everything for her daughters, she went as far as to give them up out of love for them.