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Take up your cross

To follow Jesus is certainly not an easy mission; we are called to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. It is foolish to believe that God would call us to carry out an “easy” job. As we read yesterday, Simon of Cyrene was asked to carry nothing more and nothing less than the cross of Christ. 

When you are chosen for a difficult task, you have the possibility to become part of God’s story and to make history together with Him. The Scriptures show us, one story after another, that all men and women of God were asked to carry out challenging assignments. God chose them to do something that exceeded their aptitudes, skills, and capabilities. 

Consider the life of Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Hosea, Deborah, or Esther. Is there a story in the Bible where men or women of God were asked to do something easy, where God did not have to intervene and help them? Absolutely not! They had to believe even when all the circumstances in their lives were exactly the opposite of what God had previously spoken to them. They had to trust that all the evidence against them would actually work out for their good. 

When you first take up your cross, it is going to feel like it is killing you; you will feel you are not ready or made for such a task. But trust me, it is precisely for that reason that you need God. This will be your “Aha!” moment in life. The second you realize that the task exceeds your capabilities and requires skills that are beyond your own is the moment you will desperately ask God to show up. God will deliver you from yourself, and He will be able to use you for His glory. 

We live in a society that is in love with itself. We are immensely focused on ourselves, and this is making us unhappy and unfulfilled. Why? Because we were not created for ourselves—we were created to give glory to God! To put it in author C.S Lewis’s words: “...If you want a religion to make you feel comfortable, I certainly do not recommend Christianity.”

The stakes are high in God’s Kingdom, but He will be with you, and He will give you the grace you need. It does not mean it is going to be easy. Christianity is not for lazy people! David Livingstone, the pioneer missionary to Africa, once said: “There is one safe and happy place, and that is in the will of God. If a commission by an earthly king is considered an honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?” Take up your cross, trust and believe that God will show up and do His part as you do yours. Thy will be done in our lives, Lord!