Sacrifice

A dear friend called today to chat about life and relationships. She's dating a guy with kids and his divorce situation is similar to my husband's. My friend is at a crossroads in her relationship. What she really wants to know is: IS IT WORTH IT? Jeff and I laid on the couch tonight and talked and cried about the choices we made in our lives...how his past informs our present...how unfair it is to bear the burden for someone's poor choices. Jeff feels badly for me and is quick to hold me and say sweet things like, "I could not do this life without you. I need you to be strong. You're my favorite. I love you!" But the reality is, sometimes I want to crumble when I realize my paycheck will be footing the bill for a loss on a house that was never my responsibility to begin with...I'm stuck in a city thousands of miles away from home...and for the next ten years I'll have to shelve my needs in favor of those who won't appreciate it.
So my thoughts go back to my friend...I made a list of pros and cons for her...and on paper the cons far outweigh the pros...but then I think: How can you quantify love? Christ died on the cross and gave the ultimate sacrifice out of love for us. It made him unafraid of death and defeat and He was willing to give it all...out of love.
Life is awfully hard and some relationships are harder than others...But I really believe if you love someone so much, you'd be willing to do anything for them. I love my husband more than my own life and I'm willing to sacrifice my happiness so that he can be debt-free and be a good dad to his children. Love is what it's all about. So, that's what I'll tell my friend...that ultimately love makes every sacrifice worthwhile.