I remember hearing or reading an interview of French film personality, Leslie Caron talking about the deprivations she and her country had suffered under Hitler. She recalled the soldiers coming through and giving them their extra chocolate bars. They were treats but later she observed that one of the main differences in their relative experiences was for the American it was simply losing one of two bars but for her and her countrymen it was having no chocolate bar at all.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, killed in WW2, also recognized that sometimes we can be guilty of wanting a cheap grace with a small price tag. As he said:"To endure the cross is not tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance to Jesus Christ.” As a man ultimately killed for his position standing against the Nazi and his faithful beliefs, Bonhoeffer had understanding of the reality of suffering and a cross in the life of the believer.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, killed in WW2, also recognized that sometimes we can be guilty of wanting a cheap grace with a small price tag. As he said:"To endure the cross is not tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance to Jesus Christ.” As a man ultimately killed for his position standing against the Nazi and his faithful beliefs, Bonhoeffer had understanding of the reality of suffering and a cross in the life of the believer.
As Jesus, 'take up your cross' if one desired to follow him. The way is not easy, what good thing comes without pain, sweat, or cost?
Our problem may be we have lived overly long with the sacrifice of one of our two candy bars. Sacrifice is what someone else does. Sacrifice is an abstract which holds little reality in our instant gratification paradigm of normalcy.
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