While to God "all sacrifice remains forever inconceivable," (W.322.2.1) to us surrender feels like we are giving up something that we still value. We don't see that all we are giving up is fear. Our fear is that we are giving up our control. Our belief is that God will demand some kind of sacrifice from us. Since the ego has told us that we stole our individuality from Him, it will now be payback time. He will now make demands of us that will hurt us. Now we set up defenses to protect ourselves from what we have made of Him, an angry God.
 
A core aspect of the ego thought system is based on the notion that for me to get what I want, someone or something must be sacrificed. This origin of the thought of sacrifice came with the belief that for our individual self to exist, God had to be sacrificed because individuality and Oneness can't both exist. Again it is one or the other, me or God. This is the thought system that is in the mind and now played out in the world of form where for us to get what we want, someone has to lose. Thus a world of competition was set up where our gain is someone's loss. This shows up in our relationships, which are ones of bargaining. I give you something, but I expect something back and if you don't give it to me, then I will hold you guilty.

To surrender to God we fear that we will have to sacrifice everything that we hold as important to us in this world. Our fear is that we will have to give up our pleasures, our special relationships, our money, our comforts, and everything that we value. But Jesus assures us that we give up nothing of value, because what we put value on are the things that bring us suffering. What we are struggling to keep are the things that keep us imprisoned and in pain. Holding on to that which has no value is the source of all of our pain. Do we really want to trade this off for "a resting place so still no sound except a hymn to Heaven rises up to gladden God the Father and the Son." (T.29.V.1.3)(ACIM OE T.29. VI.31) Is there anything more valuable than this kind of peace that can only come from remembering who we are?
 
Our fear in following this path is related to the idea of renunciation, which is a big concept in religious traditions. It is the idea that we must give up the things that we think we like in the world. Peace may be perceived as boring. I remember asking my boss, a minister in legislative assembly, what he liked about his job. He said that it was the adrenalin high that he got from it. The world's 'pleasures' are like that. They give us a thrill, another conquest, another momentary gain, another accomplishment, and an adrenalin rush, but how long does it last and how deeply satisfying is it really? That is what we are asked to look at when we look at the idea of sacrifice.

Traditional religion is all about sacrifice. We know of stories of great spiritual beings who have sacrificed for an anticipated reward in Heaven. From a worldly perspective they have paid a high price for giving over their lives completely to serve God. People like Mother Teresa have written about these sacrifices that she has made willingly but at a cost to herself. The idea is that something of value has to be given up in order to serve God.

As we go about our day today, we can look at what it is that we really want. If we ask this in everything, we will start to see what is really important to us. It is to investigate what we are holding onto as important and to question everything. Does it really bring me the freedom I am looking for? Is it deeply satisfying? Is going out to shop for another piece of clothing bringing me a deep sense of peace and joy? Is that vacation in the sun, really the answer to my deep need for peace? Are we called to give it up for God? No, that would feel like sacrifice if our belief is that it still holds value for us. What the lesson is helping us to see is that the real value, which is to know our Self, is what this illusion is trying to hide from us. It is every dream that "serves only to conceal the Self Which is God's only Son, the likeness of Himself, the Holy One Who still abides in Him forever, as He still abides in me." (W.322.1.4) Jesus is telling us that in sacrificing illusion we are sacrificing nothing but fear. When we recognize that, then there is no sacrifice. What is valueless simply falls away.
 
"And as illusions go I find the gifts illusions tried to hide, awaiting me in shining welcome, and in readiness to give God's ancient messages to me." (W.322.1.2) Jesus is trying to help us to see that the spiritual life is not about someone taking our toys away or requiring us to give up what we still find valuable and what we think is making us happy. He is instead trying to help us see that these things will never make us happy but actually only bring dissatisfaction. When we truly see that our attachments to them bring only suffering and loss, then we will no longer look to them for our happiness. Everything can be put to a holy purpose. The question to ask ourselves in everything is, 'What is it for?'
 
We are being asked to look at our world honestly and to look at our experience in it and evaluate it truly. In Chapter 19, "The Obstacles to Peace", we are reminded that "it is impossible to seek pleasure through the body and not find pain." (T.19.IVB.12.1)(ACIM OE T.19.Vb.71) 
Now Jesus contrasts these 'substitutes' with the real thing--- the experience of God's Love and the experience of His peace and joy. He keeps assuring us that we give up nothing, when we give up our illusions. When we look honestly at our lives, which is what he asks us to do, we will see that "Each thing you value here is but a chain that binds you to the world, and it will serve no other end but this. For everything must serve the purpose you have given it, until you see a different purpose there. The only purpose worthy of your mind this world contains is that you pass it by, without delaying to perceive some hope where there is none." (W.P.I.128.2.1-3) Only what is eternal has value and anything that is not eternal is valueless and brings us more pain and guilt.
 
Jesus asks us to "Be speeded on your way by honesty, and let not your experiences here deceive in retrospect. They were not free from bitter cost and joyless consequence. (T.30.V.9.11-12)(ACIM OE T.30.VI.65)

Do not look back except in honesty. And when an idol tempts you, think of this: There never was a time an idol brought you anything except the 'gift' of guilt. Not one was bought except at cost of pain, nor was it ever paid by you alone."  (T.30.V.10.1-4)(ACIM OE T.30.VI.66-67)
 
Our challenge is to be really honest with ourselves. We are asked to really look at what all of the so-called pleasures really brought us. And we are asked not to let the past deceive us with nostalgia nor selective remembering with thoughts of the 'good old days.'

It is not as if we are being asked to give up something that we still find value in. Nothing will be taken away from us. Nothing happens against our will. We are only invited to contrast what the eternal gifts are with those the world has to offer. There is nothing we need to give up. In fact we can give them over for a different purpose. Our home, for example, which I once referred to as a gilded cage, is now being used by the Holy Spirit for His purposes. My computer is being used to communicate His messages. My body can be used by Him to give love, as can my car, my money etc. The question is always, what is it for? Increasingly, I simply find things of no interest that I once found pleasurable. I no longer find shopping 'fun'. I don't have the interest I once had in traveling to exotic places. I have lost my interest in concerts and plays for the most part, and movies and books are no longer used as a distraction but looked at with the Holy Spirit. More important, I no longer want to rely on my own devices to solve problems. I know that I am incapable of knowing what is known by the Holy Spirit and I find my trust in His answers has grown considerably. Does this require that you no longer involve yourself in distractions? Should you feel guilty if you look for an escape in the movies? Absolutely not. That would not be helpful for your healing. Eventually we will see, however, that "It is the price that must to be paid for the denial of truth." (M.13.5.3) It is the sacrifice of love "which must be paid by fear." (T.15.X.6.8)(ACIM OE T.15.X.98)
  
There is a wonderful passage in the Manual Section 13, "What is the Real Meaning of Sacrifice?" In this section Jesus acknowledges that "it takes great learning both to realize and to accept the fact that the world has nothing to give." (Manual.13.2.1) Every time we make a decision for anything in the world we are sacrificing our real joy. The joy is always there waiting for us to accept it, but it requires that we see that it is the only thing we want. "And as illusions go I find the gifts illusions tried to hide, awaiting me in shining welcome, and in readiness to give God's ancient messages to me." (W.322.1.2) Until we experience this, we will question the truth of it. Jesus continually reminds us of how beautiful this experience of joy is, and tells us, "I am leading you to a new kind of experience that you will become less and less willing to deny." (T.11.VI.6)(ACIM OE T.10.VII.61)
 
When we step outside of the dream, we will see that what we are holding onto is nothing but what is hurtful to us. We are holding onto a self that does not even exist. All that we give up are not the forms of this world but our thought system behind them based on the purpose they hold for us.