The Sacrifice

Where to begin...this journey, unlike many others, has a great reward and many sacrifices that I wanted to share.

"The Great Reward"

In two years time I will have earned six plus years worth of my previous salary. I will have gained valuable overseas work experience and best of all, Brenda and I will be completely out of debt. 

Now we have all heard that there's no such thing as a "get rich quick" scheme. We have to work hard and if we follow some basic rules of managing the money that God so graciously allows us to manage, then we have a future that will be rich indeed. The legacy I want to leave my children is one of learning from their mistakes. Because my mistakes are exactly that, mine. They will make their own and by Gods good grace learn from them. I want to leave an example of how I humbled myself before Him, allowed the biblically based financial teachings of one Mr. Dave Ramsey to penetrate my stubbornness and heart. I wanted and desired to have a life without chains. Sure I was free of the chains of death and sin by Christ's death and blood on the cross. But I was a slave to debt and it was my time to break free. It was my time to stand up and shout no more, it was my time to say I will lead my family out of this bondage and teach my children to do the same. To cherish the freedom from sin and death and not become slaves to the things of this world. I will, I will, I will!

This journey is not a get rich quick one at all. Sure it's only two years, but this note today is about the sacrifice required during those two years that define the journey. 

"The Sacrifice"

The most obvious thing is that I had to move over seven thousand miles away. Why, because that is where the job was. The distance is one thing, but thank God for modern technology. We have Skype, email, Facebook, and many other ways to stay in touch and see each other to ease the weight on the heart from the distance. The sacrifice is that the Internet here is sketchy and unreliable. I spent my first two months unable to Skype with Brenda until I found a service provider that so far has been a cut above the rest. The other sacrifice is that friends and family will pass away. Birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays will come and go. The holidays will be hard because they don't celebrate as we do in the US. The weather here is tolerable so not a big sacrifice there. The road driving conditions are horrible and the drivers are rude, inconsiderate, and downright unsafe to say the least. The biggest sacrifice is the time away from my wife. She is my best friend and we, for the most part, did everything together and wanted to be at each other's side. She brightened my days and I know that her being in my life was and is truly a miracle. True love does exist and I am a better man because of her faith in God. It is her that I miss the most. It is my love for her that brought me here. It is the hope of a better future for her and my children that continues to give me strength. 

No great reward ever comes without sacrifice. Our Lord and Savior is the perfect example of this. He paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we, through faith, could receive that reward. My sacrifice is small in comparison and I am thankful for the opportunity and privilege to be living it. 

Remember, in order to live like nobody else, we must first choose to live like nobody else. The road to freedom isn't easy, but once we are through the dark, we will bask in the light.