“Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’” Luke 9:23
The late Christian teacher Sadhu Sundar Singh once said, “If we do not bear the cross of the Master, we will have to bear the cross of the world, with all its earthly goods. Which cross have you taken up?”
I believe, at times, we wish for no cross at all. We don’t want any sense of weight or burden. It’s easy to believe we can find the weightlessness of freedom by doing our own thing and living according to however we feel is best for us. But I’m learning that our lives necessarily come with a cross to bear. The choice for us becomes, will we bear the cross of Christ? Or, will we bear the cross of the world—ultimately, the cross of ourselves?
Perhaps that sounds ridiculous to some. How can I bear the cross of myself? If I’m living the way I desire, it is not a cross; it is only freedom. But there is a need for caution in that mindset, for as the proverb states, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12). Please know I’m not suggesting we should suppress or ignore our desires. Many of our desires are God-given, and I believe all of our desires should be acknowledged before God and stewarded with God in ways that honor God. However, the cross that inevitably accompanies our right to our own wills, stewarded without God, is one that leads to, at best—nothing; at worst—death.
The beautiful irony of the Cross of Christ is that it alone truly leads to Life.
I’m learning that this Lenten journey is a season to remember not only the wilderness Jesus endured, not only the Cross He bore, but also the invitation that is ours to take up our cross daily and follow Him wherever He leads. It is an invitation of Love beyond our comprehension, and the journey is one that is accompanied by Jesus Himself. We never, ever walk alone.
My husband recently introduced me to a song with a powerful phrase I keep replaying in my mind:
“Oh my soul, remember who you’re talking to:
The only One who death bows to.
That’s the God who walks with you.”
Yes, I believe this is how and why the Cross of Christ is the cross grounded in Love and leads to Life.
“Which cross have you taken up?”
~em
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