Are you familiar with the concept of sacrifice? It is an element of every faith tradition and understood even in the secular world. It involves the voluntary giving up of something of value. What does it mean to you as a Christian? Do you think of it as a means of buying favor with me? What do you have that I need? Could it be that sacrifice is for your benefit rather than mine? What would it do for you? Have you ever found that the things you value have a claim on you? Have you ever felt a sense of release and freedom from letting go of something you valued?

You live in a literate culture and this has many advantages. Are there any disadvantages? Do you accept the premise that everything can be expressed in words, or is there truth that cannot be articulated? My word teaches you that the Spirit intercedes for you with groaning that cannot be uttered, and Paul saw things in heaven that were not lawful, or possible, to speak. Have words ever failed you? You crave meaning. Are there things that are deeply satisfying because they are meaningful that you cannot explain?

Do you have a longing to belong? This is inherent in the human experience because I put it there. Have you found that you have to be selective in your associations? Have you ever joined a club or other organization and found that the demand for conformity was greater than the resulting sense of belonging? Have you found that even churches, or especially churches, impose severe demands as the price of belonging, even if the requirements are unspoken? Not every church is for you.

Everyone suffers wounds in the course of life, and not all are physical injuries. How do you handle yours? You have seen people defeated and embittered by the things they have suffered. Yet have you also seen people ennobled by their wounds? Do you know of anyone of noble character that hasn’t suffered to get there? So your response to your wounds makes a difference in the way they affect you. It is not too much to say that they can become sacred wounds. What effect do your wounds have on you? Do you have access to and apply a means for turning ordinary wounds into sacred wounds?