Sacrificial Love by Jeff Wiles

By the time I was in my mid-twenties, a series of bad relationships and poor decisions had imprisoned me in a cell of loneliness, confusion, and misery.

Despite the web of sin into which I had entangled myself, God managed to insert into my life a young lady that eventually became my wife. Her love inspired me to be a better man. And though I now deal with tremors, stiffness, immobility, and the countless side effects of Parkinson’s, my wife continues to love me sacrificially. 

By definition, sacrifice means to give up or let go…but not just of anything. Sacrificing is letting go or giving up something very dear to you. Which is what my wife eventually did. When we married, I was living in a singlewide trailer. One year later, we moved it onto four acres of pristine pasture land in a remote region. Eight years later, we built my wife’s dream house. But when Parkinson’s struck, the house and yard became a burden, and my wife suggested we sell the house. She relinquished her dream home for me.

Sacrificial love is also the type of love God had for us. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8 NLT).  Had he chosen not to, we would all perish in our sins. He was willing to give up someone he loved very much so we could have something we needed–forgiveness of our sins.

Often, I drive by the dream home my wife sacrificed for our family, and I’m reminded of her altruistic sacrifice. In all likelihood, I’ll never be able to reimburse her. Neither will I be able to repay God for what he did, but I can live my life demonstrating appreciation for his tremendous sacrifice. Will you do the same?

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