As a pastor and a husband, I've often grappled with this question. In my experience, love and sacrifice are not mutually exclusive, but rather, they're intertwined. When I think of love, I think of the sacrifices my wife Susan and I have made for our children, Joshua and Rebecca. We've put their needs before our own, made sacrifices for their education, and given up our own desires for the sake of their well-being. This, I believe, is what Jesus meant when he said, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).
But sacrifice isn't just about grand gestures; it's also about the small, everyday choices we make. As a parent, I've had to sacrifice my own desires and plans to meet my children's needs. I've had to put aside my own interests and hobbies to attend to their problems and concerns. And as a pastor, I've had to sacrifice my own comfort and convenience to serve the needs of my congregation. These sacrifices, though small, are essential to demonstrating love and commitment to others.
Ultimately, the question of how to choose between love and sacrifice is not a difficult one for me. As a Christian, I believe that love and sacrifice are not options, but rather, they're fundamental aspects of our relationship with God and with others. When I choose to sacrifice for the sake of love, I'm not doing it to boast or to earn God's approval, but rather, I'm doing it because I've been loved and sacrificed for by God himself. As the Bible says, "If I have sacrificed my Son for you, do you really think I am going to be stingy and withhold my love now?" (Psalm 118:27).