“I’ve come to learn that sacrifices seem like sacrifices only at the time you make them. Sacrifices are things God is calling us to give up for our own good. If you think about it, it’s not really a sacrifice to act in a way that will improve yourself. I like to look at sacrifice as a forest burning down. Fires are messy, dangerous, and even catastrophic. But they’re essential for clearing the forest of dead underbrush and preparing it for new growth. All of us have things in our lives that need to be burned up so something new and beautiful can grow in their place. We just need to change how we see these sacrifices—from something we have to give up to something that is going to make us better people who are going to live out God’s plans and purpose for us.”