Do Small Sacrafices Make A Difference

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4love2God said:
Drew wonders: “I had food at home and the money I would have spent could be saved for something more important. So I passed and had leftovers for lunch.
My question is, do small sacrifices like this mean much to God?”

I believe that if I think I am doing a Sacrifice, that God appreciates it. God knows what is in my Heart and in my Mind. To me, this means that my Intentions (with whatever underlying emotions are there) are the most important indicator of how God perceives my actions (and the actions I do NOT take).

In a very real way, ALL of Life is filled with sacrifices. Whenever I give my time and attention to another person, I am sacrificing my time and attention to him; of course, some times I really like doing it (not quite a sacrifice at all, a Win), while with other people, it is like a trip to the dentist (an overwhelming sacrifice, in my eyes).

Many times, what I MOST want to do … is unavailable. Many other times, my second (and third … 4th ?) most-wanted things to do are not available. So, in a real sense, I must sacrifice the enjoyment I couldn’t receive. If I then offer that sacrifice to God, with a smile, that is worth something to God.

In your case, you actually chose to sacrifice an action that WAS available for you to do. So, because God knows that you did made your choice for a good reason, it clearly means something to God. Your little sacrifice (in my eyes), may be a LARGER sacrifice in God’s eyes–that is part of the mystery of Faith : I don’t know … God knows … He ain’t talking to me about it … I choose to believe that God likes it. The Bible spends some time saying that if I think God feels a certain way, that HE may indeed feel that way about it (e.g., the guy with one Talent, buries it, to protect it, because God is mean . . . Poof, God is now mean with him about it).

People do NOT have the ability to think like God thinks. Over the years, I know that occasionally I am doing “God’s Will.” The rest of the time, I must develop the Trust to know that I will mess-up many times each day, and that God (in His inscrutable wisdom) will appreciate enough of what I am doing correctly (whatever those things are in God’s eyes), to cut-me-some-slack on all of the wrong things I am doing (including some things that I am positive are RIGHT to do). Thank you, God. I am not worthy.
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I sure hope they do, because they’re all I’ve got to offer! Like a previous poster, I am not called to great sacrifices. I am a mom and a wife, I am not particularly brave or particularly smart, I live in a cushy part of the world compared to 98% of humanity, and so all I can do to show Our Lord my love and gratitude is little things. It is for this reason that my two favorite saints are St Thérèse and St Bernadette, both known for their simplicity and love. I aspire to be like them.
 
Snugglebugmom said:
I sure hope they do, because they’re all I’ve got to offer! Like a previous poster, I am not called to great sacrifices. I am a mom and a wife, I am not particularly brave or particularly smart, I live in a cushy part of the world compared to 98% of humanity, and so all I can do to show Our Lord my love and gratitude is little things. It is for this reason that my two favorite saints are St Thérèse and St Bernadette, both known for their simplicity and love. I aspire to be like them.
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St Therese and St Bernadette are the first two saints I learned about. Then I learned about the Children of Fatima. They have been an important influence all my life. It was learning about them that I grew to understand that one could make small sacrifices to God and that when done in Love they mattered more than any great sacrifice one might believe they could make.
 
I often think of buying a candy bar as I’m leaving the grocery store, and just say “All for Thee dear Jesus, Who has suffered so much for me.”

These little acts of mortification are not only good for God, they also strengthen us in tye spiritual life. We are not our minds, we are not our bodies. Each is to be in subjugation to our wills, but mine frequently behave like spoiled brats! (Can’t imagine why… :o) So tyese little acts of mortification are the same as when we discipline our children and tell them, no, you may not swing nj the chandalier! and the like.

And it also gives us practice when we really have a hard part of God’s will to accept 😦
 
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