Take up Your Cross

"Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."- Mark 8: 34.

The cross of our text is not one but many. The cross is the sacred symbol of divine providence our Savior sends. Therefore, it has many forms, as varied and veritable as the stars. Such as...

You may find your cross to remain in a humble station, when you feel your capable of so much more.

Perhaps your cross is to labor incessantly upon seemingly fruitless, barren ground, year after strenuous year.

It may be your cross to seek the forgiveness of one whom you have wronged, or perhaps the heavier cross, to foster a heart of tenderness towards one who has wronged you.

Your cross may be standing steadfast for your Master before those trying to banish His memory.

Or you may be required to show a face of joy while wrestling with inner turmoil and heartache. Yes, the crosses we bear are as diverse as they are weighty, and we'd never seek them out of our own volition.

Yet, it is precisely in these moments of surrender to our Savior, as we humbly shoulder our crosses, resisting the urge to protest, He draws so very near. Through the crucible of these grievous trials, His humility grows in us, His wisdom matures in us, His peace settles deeper in us, His courage emboldens us, and our capacity to bare multiplies.

Each cross we bear, whether it takes the form of newly discovered sin, old habits dying hard, unfulfilled potential or unrewarded labor, pardoning a wrong or cherishing a wrongdoer, or standing for our Master in hostile terrain, each cross is the weight of indentured love. It's Christ conforming us to His Image.

Though our burdens may be heavy, though the path may be steep, we carry our crosses not in vain but in anticipation. Anticipation of that glorious day when every tear will be wiped away, every wound will be healed, and our crosses will be exchanged for crowns. For in bearing our crosses, we become more intimately acquainted with our Savior, understanding, albeit faintly, the weight He bore for our sake.

So, in each burden we bear, in every trial we face, may our crosses draw us closer to the Savior of the Cross. Every sharp edge of my cross chisels at some sin, some defect in me, that prevents my conformity into the image of the One who loved me. May each cross then, dear one, may every danger, toil, and snare, be accompanied by this repeated refrain,

"Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross."

"Who loved me, and gave himself for me."