fbpx
37.6 F
Spokane
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeCommentaryBlogsSacrifice is easy when it's for a friend

Sacrifice is easy when it’s for a friend

Date:

Related stories

Lost in Translation: Isn’t It Time We Moved Beyond a Fear-Based Repentance?

When I hear the kingdom is at hand, followed immediately by the command to repent, the good news is overshadowed by the fear that I’m not good enough to be part of the kingdom of God.

Inspiring Others: How Our Marriage Turned 50

As we prepare to celebrate 50 years there are so many thoughts and memories going through my head. I have joked about how I don't know how you've put up with me for this long, which is really true in a sense with my Irish enthusiasm and temper.

Taking the Road ‘Less Traveled by’ Has Made ‘All the Difference’

Pete Haug remembers hearing Robert Frost read his poem "The Road not Taken" 65 years ago. It reminded him of his spiritual journey out of the Christianity of his youth into choosing the Baha'i faith as an adult.

Ask an EOC: Can You Confess in Private to God but not in Church Confession and be Forgiven?

Concerning the sacrament of Confession, Christ directly gave the authority to his Church to remit or retain the sins of the penitent. 

Stuff: Do We Have Too Much? Depends on What Kind.

“Stuff” is one of those words in English that has so many meanings it almost defies definition.

Our Sponsors

spot_img
spot_img

[todaysdate]

By Mark Azzara

I know this may sound odd but there’s a part of me that can’t wait for next Christmas.

The past few years have presented me with a real challenge – my annual quest to find some new culinary Christmas gift for a friend who invites me over for dinner every Monday night. He has done so every week for years, sometimes even when he has been ill. The only Mondays when I must forage for myself are, as you might expect, when he’s on vacation or away on business.

His generosity is not limited to me. He also does this, on other nights, for a few mutual friends. On top of that he goes all out when preparing dinner for the artists and crew at a monthly Christian coffeehouse.

This year my quest turned out to be a half-day adventure, thanks to two construction projects on a secondary state highway. And then the Google map turned out to be less than accurate so I got stuck on a jammed main road with no way to double back to the place I wanted to reach. But it was worth the trip because I got what I’d gone looking for.

I didn’t know what it was I was looking for when I walked in. It’s one of those, “OK, here I am. Surprise me” moments. And I was delighted that Penzey’s (it’s online, in case you’re interested) lived up to its promise. The store is devoted exclusively to food spices. I wound up buying four jars of spice blends that represent the seasonings used in various parts of the world so that my friend can try something new in the kitchen whenever it suits him.

I was in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, two years ago when I discovered a shop that focused on flavored olive oils. Well, I thought, that’s one gift out of the way. Actually, there was so much stuff that I bought him a birthday gift, too.

And the year before that I was in Eastport, Maine, and visited Raye’s Mustards, which claims to be the last remaining stone-ground mustard company in America. (Yes, they’re online, too.) Once again, problem solved.

I think he truly appreciates the effort, but I would be less than honest if I said I seek out these places purely for my friend’s benefit. The adventure is the reward for me. I heard about a place that’s roughly an hour’s drive from me and can’t wait to check it out in the spring. If it’s what I think it is – another blended olive oil store – I’ll have to wait until late fall or early winter to buy my gift, because olive oils have a relatively short shelf life. And if it doesn’t pan out, well, I’ll find something else.

That’s the benefit of friendship. It blesses me, and leads me to sacrifice on behalf of the one who is my friend. He, I and our mutual friends are members of a Christian prayer group, which is how we got to know each other. He has taught me some valuable and very practical lessons about what it means to be Christian, not the least of which is kindness. It inspires kindness and sacrifice in me.

That’s the way Jesus wants friendship to be – relationship marked by mutual kindness and sacrifice. It’s one of the clearest ways we demonstrate the reality of Jesus to another person. And I can’t wait for the next opportunity to do so.



blog comments powered by Disqus

Mark Azzara
Mark Azzara
Mark Azzara spent 45 years in print journalism, most of them with the Waterbury Republican in Connecticut, where he was a features writer with a special focus on religion at the time of his retirement. He also worked for newspapers in New Haven and Danbury, Conn. At the latter paper, while sports editor, he won a national first-place writing award on college baseball. Azzara also has served as the only admissions recruiter for a small Catholic college in Connecticut and wrote a self-published book on spirituality, "And So Are You." He is active in his church and facilitates two Christian study groups for men. Azzara grew up in southern California, graduating from Cal State Los Angeles. He holds a master's degree from the University of Connecticut.

Our Sponsors

spot_img
spot_img
spot_img
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
spot_img
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x