What is Sacrifice?


The drive home from work was 33% longer than normal. Quick dinner. Boomerang back north to enjoy participating in baptisms at the Temple doing Family File names.

One of the witnesses is a business associate. He says to me, "This is a long drive for you." To which I respond, "It is a very small sacrifice."

For thirteen years David has worked for USWest/Qwest/CenturyLink. It has been their policy, for his department, to work one weekend a month. That's fair. It is a 24/7 department, so it is fair. Also, when you work weekends the pay-rate has a differential factor-so it really is fair.

For twelve and a half years David has been able to trade away his weekends and worked midweek days for those who took his weekends. Then he was released from his Stake calling that he's had for nearly 22 years.

Now when he puts weekends out-no one takes him up on them-differential rate or not. So, slowly he's stopped caring about trying to trade them away.

Having worked in the same department for fourteen years, he's come to know some he enjoys working with, some he tolerates working with and some he works with that he just feels miserable around.

For many of the past years that David has served in his Stake calling I knew of his sacrifice of not sitting by me through most of the Stake meetings. I hadn't realized one other sacrifice.

It occurred to me today the joy in his voice when he does work a weekend that a certain someone he works with wasn't scheduled that same weekend. That gives him a day mid-week where he doesn't have to work around said person as well as the weekend.

That also means that all the blessings of being able to trade away his weekends also meant the sacrifice of having to work around some at work who is miserable company-a sacrifice on his part.

Again, a small sacrifice because his weekend service was for his Savior.

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