God decided to test Abraham, ordering him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, on a mountain. Abraham dutifully cut all the wood for the offering and took his son up the mountain. Isaac wondered where the lamb for the sacrifice was; his father told him that God would provide the lamb. Abraham bound Isaac to the wood and lifted his knife to kill the boy, but before he could, an angel of the Lord came down to them. The angel said to stop, and praised him for his fear of God. A ram suddenly appeared to take Isaac's place as a sacrifice. The angel came back down and told Abraham that, as a reward for his willingness to sacrifice his son, his descendants will be as plentiful as the stars and that they will bless all nations.
True sacrifice, ultimately, depends on the individual; it's giving up what you love and cherish the most. For Abraham, it was his dearly beloved son. True sacrifice could be giving up something physical, like a person, a job, or a hobby, or it could be something less tangible, like a belief, passion, or even love itself. Another key factor of sacrifice is knowing that it can't be undone: true sacrifice is permanent. If I gave up reading for a day, that would be a temporary sacrifice; it would be made more real if I gave up reading for life. Just like beauty, true sacrifice is ultimately in the eye of the beholder.
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