Magi, Where Art Thou?

This past week I spent some time reading some different stories to my grade 12's. I probably did it for selfish reasons; everyone is a little ancy the week before the break and I hoped that maybe it would calm them (and me) down a bit before getting to work on the always exciting...(wait for it)...dangling modifiers.

One of the stories I read was a Christmas favorite: Gift of the Magi by O Henry (no relation to Mr. Big). I think I read this story every year and each year it works for me. This year it did as well. If you've never read the story you need to, you can find it here. Essentially, an incredibly dedicated couple gives up the thing they value most in order to give their partner their heart's desire. Truly the gift of the magi.

But over the past month I've also been reading and watching some things over at the Advent Conspiracy that have made me wonder about this whole idea of sacrifice. As I churned it all over, I think I've decided that I am not really sure what sacrifice means.

I remember a time in the early 1980's when my dad was unemployed. I was under 10 at the time so I couldn't totally wrap my head around the concept of being unemployed. I do remember people dropping groceries off (thank you), and I also remember my mom and dad modeling sacrifice--for me. As I sit here right now, I am actually trying to figure out how we made it through that time, something I will need to ask them the next time I see them.

Anyways, I think I've lost my train of thought as I've suddenly transported myself back to the early 1980's. This isn't a blog about how we aren't giving gifts (we are, and we love it, and I think we try to find a way to do it in a healthy way--I'm sure we fail, but we try), but more to consider what does it really mean to give to until it hurts (maybe that means financially, maybe that means in some other aspect of life). I just don't know that I've given till it hurts. Maybe that is the danger of living in the age when our worldview revolves around the myth of scarcity and the theology of abundance.

Read the story. 'Tis a good one.