To Carry the Cross

What does it mean to "Carry my cross?"

Jesus commanded his disciples that if they truly wanted to be Jesus' disciples, that they had to take up their cross and follow after him. He didn't say that they ought to...or that they should...he said they must.

What does that mean for us? How do we go about doing that? What does my cross look like? Yours? I don't know. I get so wrapped up in my own personal existence that I miss out on what my cross is.

I guess the cross that Jesus spoke of is our life. It means that daily we must commit to dying to ourselves, to give up control of our life, to let the Master lead us, guide us where He may. That is taking up our cross.

It means that we continue to live this life that we have been given to live, despite the circumstances around us. Despite the garbage that seeps in around us, we continue to struggle with it, we continue to praise the Father for it, and we show others that it is worth it.

But the cross that Jesus spoke of meant...death! Exactly the point, when Jesus spoke of the cross, that is what he meant. He meant that his disciples had to die. They had to give up their own lives, for the sake of the gosple. And that is what Jesus commands us to do even now...

We must let loose, give in, and let Him take control of our miserable lives, in hopes of a better one. We must die to this world, and let the Maker of the Universe our own special possession. That is our call...that must be our choice.

Everyone wants to go to Heaven...but we must be willing to die, on earth, everyday.

I truly believe that the goal of Christianity is not to go to Heaven...the goal is have an intimate relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ. Heaven is just a reward! But to truly have that relationship, we must carry our cross...and follow...wherever that may be...after Jesus.

Dreaming...
adam