Giving ourselves
There is nothing “forced” in a true offering of self – it is a total gift, given in love. Only a sacrifice prompted and guided by love can avoid evanescing to a business exchange or a cause for bitterness and resentment, for which we await or demand a return, a reward for our self-renunciation.
A true offering of self does not diminish self at all, nor does it require us to deny our feelings or aspirations. It is an offering of self that sometimes includes voluntarily setting aside the gratification of even our noble desires, but this is always done for love of another. Sacrifice is never an end in itself – it is always the means to something greater, always it opens us more fully to the other, always it clears within us a greater capacity for love.
