When God Asks for More Than You’re Willing to Give
- Carolyn Astfalk
- Mar 2
- 2 min read
"By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers." ~1 John 3:16
My contribution to the Catholic Teen Books’ Lenten anthology, Ashes: Visible & Invisible, allowed me to think more deeply about the ways in which God asks us to lay down our lives for one another.
Sacrifice is a hallmark of Lenten practice, and we often look to small sacrifices that challenge us to die to ourselves in small ways, uniting our meager but meaningful sacrifices to Christ’s and growing in discipline.
We sacrifice good things that we enjoy—chocolate, favorite beverages, sweets, and a variety of other objects or activities. Sometimes though, inside or outside of Lent, God asks us to make big sacrifices.
In my short story “A Big Ask,” I considered a very large sacrifice, one so great that I think many of us would dismiss it out of hand. In this story, Paul’s conscience is nagged by a flyer seeking a kidney donor.
The idea came to me as I frequently drove by similar signs in my local community. I pondered them while I sat at traffic lights or passed through town on errands. Who was this man who so desperately needed an organ? Who does God call to make that kind of an extraordinary sacrifice for a stranger? Was I selfish for not considering it myself?
With Paul, I examined the ramifications of such a sacrifice and the courage it takes to respond to God’s promptings even when what He asks is contrary to our own comfort or will.
This led me to consider a Bible story that confounded me as a child: Abraham’s willingness to
sacrifice his beloved son in obedience to God. Even at a young age, I wondered whether I could exhibit the faith of Abraham.
As an adult, I better understand the significance of the story and how it prefigures God’s sacrifice of His beloved Son. God held back nothing for our sakes. How can we not be willing to do the same for His sake?
I hope that in reading “A Big Ask,” you relate to Paul’s struggle and are inspired by his confident surrender to God’s will.
What might God be calling you to sacrifice this Lent? Are you open to His call, even when it requires more from you than you might like to give?
Join us on March 7th as author Amanda Lauer reflects on her story, Lent Royal & Ancient.
About the author: Carolyn Astfalk resides with her husband and four children in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where it smells like either chocolate or manure, depending on wind direction. She is the author of the contemporary Catholic romances Stay With Me, Come Back to Me, Ornamental Graces, and All in Good Time, and the coming-of-age story Rightfully Ours. Carolyn is a member of the Catholic Writers Guild, Catholic Teen Books, Pennwriters, and is a CatholicMom.com contributor. True to her Pittsburgh roots, she still says “pop” instead of “soda,” although her beverage of choice is tea.
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