It’s hard not to take life for granted. In North America, we have so much of seemingly everything at our disposal. We have access to education, books, technology, healthcare, food in various forms, etc. Yet none of these things have come without some type of sacrifice.
Education comes with the sacrifice of the time and energy of teachers, parents, children, administrators, and support staff. School systems, as we know them today, have come a long way since their introduction as one-room schoolhouses. Yet this evolution would not have happened without the work put into reforming child labor and education laws. Similarly, books wouldn’t be available without the sacrifices of writers, publishers and printing companies. In the 15th century, a man named Johannes Gutenberg put in focused time and energy to create the printing press, without which mass-produced books would not exist. Further, the concept of circulating and expressing various ideas have come by the hands of cultural reformers throughout the ages along with the lawmakers who fought to protect free speech. And, lest we forget, our own freedoms in North America have come at the cost of many young lives in wars fought over the last 200 years.
Sacrifices were necessary for all the things that we now enjoy today. But as Christians, we recognize the greatest gift we enjoy is salvation. Our salvation has come at the cost and sacrifice of our dear Redeemer. In this new year, before we fall headlong into sin, let us remember Christ’s sacrifice and strive to walk in newness of life.
Reforming the City of Roses 