The Beauty of Sacrifice

I was just thinking about this today. The story I finished this morning has a lot to do with sacrifice; it's one of the main points of the story. And I was thinking--sacrifice so often involves loss of some kind, even death. It would seem like a horribly depressing thing--so why is it that whenever I read about some form of sacrifice (or, in this case, write about it), instead of feeling horrified or depressed, I always feel awe-struck and uplifted?

My theory is that by reminding us of what God Himself did for us, stories that show us sacrifice remind us a little of God. As we see how the character gave something up, we feel strengthened and inspired and begin to believe that we, too, can give, even our lives, if God asks it of us.

At any rate, that's my theory. :-)