The Benefits of Offering It Up
By Caitlin Bootsma
Consultant to the VIRTUS® Programs
An aching back, when you have to work all day. Anticipating coffee only to find there is none left. Being awoken
three separate times by two different children, resulting in a bleary-eyed morning. Preparing and teaching a great religious education class, only to discover that none of the students are paying attention. We all have moments—possibly multiple times a day—when minor inconveniences seemed poised to ruin our day. It is even possible that you have heard the phrase "Offer it Up" in response to grumbling about these troubles and immediately had unpleasant thoughts about the person who spoke them.
"Offering it Up" can sound cliché in a Christian culture, but, like most clichés, there is more than a grain of truth to it. Basically, we have several choices when we encounter roadblocks to our day. One, we can let a small hurdle become insurmountable and give up any idea of having a good day. Two, we can grin and bear it, but not be happy about it. Or, three, we can imitate Christ by offering up our sufferings and even find joy in the process.
As you may know, as Christians, Jesus tells us "Whoever wishes to come after me, must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). This invitation to take up one's cross does not just apply to major life decisions or sufferings, but also to the every day incidents or situations that get under our skin. By voluntarily embracing our small Crosses, we are walking alongside Christ, Who carried His Cross out of love for each one of us. True joy, after all, is not getting the last cup of coffee or getting a full night's sleep, but living a life in friendship with the Lord, Who died for us.
So, how can we start to transform our days and offer it up? Like any good work, preparation is key. It can be hard to confront difficulties with a spirit of sacrifice if you are not already striving to live a life of prayer. It is no coincidence that many Christians start each day with the Morning Offering (emphasis on "offering"). In this prayer, the faithful offer all the aspects of their day, the joyful and the sacrificial alike, as a prayer to God. Consider starting each day praying the Morning Offering for yourself, for family and friends, and for those children to whom you minister.
Once you have dedicated your day to the Lord, you can continue to pray as obstacles arise. Traffic on the way to work? Pray for patience. A son or daughter is sick and requires extra care? Pray for strength. When you ask God to enter the daily moments of your life, have no doubt that He will. Then, when those moments come that would normally ruin your day, you may just see them as an opportunity to show your love for Christ.
This sort of Christ-like living will bear fruit. It may not gain you that cup of coffee, a promotion at work, or children who never cause you headaches. However, virtue begets virtue. The more you practice this sacrificial love, the more you will find that you want to approach life in this way. You may even find yourself voluntarily sacrificing something that you previously would have resisted. Perhaps you will not only teach your own religious education class, but also volunteer to substitute when another teacher is ill. You may give up that last cup of coffee to a coworker who looks tired or be the one to make a new pot. The patience that you prayed for will manifest itself over and over again as you are confronted with various trying circumstances. And, most importantly, you can rest assured that even if no one else did, God heard your prayer of sacrifice and is bestowing graces on you and those for whom you were praying. After all, the Lord cannot be outdone in generosity.
Learning to "Offer it up" is not going to happen overnight. Just like training to get in good shape physically, this spiritual workout will have its setbacks. However, if you persevere, you will find that you will become stronger, more joyful, and more loving because of it. Remember; we have a choice. We can be victims of circumstance or we can pick up our Cross and follow Christ. As you encounter these daily obstacles, which way will you choose?
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