This story is about god telling Abraham to sacrifice his only son on a mountain as a burnt offering. He set off on the journey and told his servants to stay with the donkeys while Abraham and his son would go worship on the mountain. Isaac was confused as to why there was no lamb to sacrifice and Abraham told him the lord would provide the lamb. Abraham then bound his son in ropes on the altar and rose the knife to kill him. Then an angel appeared and told Abraham to spare his son because it was obvious he fear the lord, and that is good. He looked up and saw a ram caught in a thicket of thorns, so that could be the sacrifice instead of Isaac. Then god called out to Abraham telling him he's happy he would kill his son for him, so he blesses Abraham and tells him he will have a very large family line.
Everyone makes sacrifices every day, and these are usually not that big a deal, and don't have a huge impact on your life. This could include, letting someone take the last milk carton, or lending someone your coat. Which is nice, but this is not a true sacrifice. A true sacrifice is one that will change you, and you lose something that is more important to you than anything. This change will impact the rest of your life. Obviously this is something we don't see very often, but it does happen. Think of Harry Potter's mother, giving her life for her child to save him, that is a true sacrifice. Or, given you're stranded on a desert island, letting the person(s) stranded with you permission to eat you first, that is a true sacrifice, and I respect this variety of sacrifices most of all.
I think that small sacrifices can equally have a major impact on your life, of course it could depend on the situation. For instance someone could sacrifice their love of junk food in order to become healthier. It's a small and daily change but it can leave a major impact on their lives whereas giving the last piece of gum to your friend may not be that big of an impact of on your life.
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