Two Stories of Sacrifice

First story: God told David in 1 Chronicles 21 to build Him an altar on a certain piece of land. So David found the owner of the land, Araunah. David told Araunah that he wanted to buy his land. Araunah said, basically, "No, take it for free and do what you like with it." Verse 24 says, "But King David replied to Araunah, 'No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.'"

Second story: Today I am going to see The Lego Movie with my friend and her kids. I have zero interest in this movie. I avoid spending money whenever I can (even for things I like), but I will happily pay the $2 million or whatever it is now to go to the movie today. Why? Because I like my friend. I will do whatever I have to to spend time with her, knowing that you can't really relax and talk over a cup of coffee with kids running around.

I am currently reading The People Factor by Van Moody. One thing he said that really hit me was, "The price you are willing to pay for something reveals its value to you. Like most things, I was really able to think about this when I thought of a hypothetical scenario, an allegory, an analogy. Someone who only asks you out for coffee when they're going to be in your neighborhood running errands-that is, when it's convenient for them-is not going to be in the same category as the friend who calls you up and drives across town just to see you. She didn't have errands, kids to pick up, or some strange business transaction (like buying a doll off Craigslist) to do in your neighborhood. She just came to see you. And she wasn't sitting at home with nothing to do. She realizes people are more important than her schedule, so she decided to put off that book she's been wanting to read and go see you.