Then He called the crowd to Him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciples must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
Mark 8:34-37
Meditation:
Jesus never said it would be easy to follow him. We all have crosses to bear. No one escapes. We may think that riches will buy happiness, but even the wealthiest get sick, lose people they love and eventually die.
What about power? There are people who spend their whole life climbing over other people to get to the top whether in business, politics, or wealth, only to discover that they are not happy and have no one left except those who want to pull them down. Fame can bring more problems than it solves.
What is Jesus trying to tell us, then?
We believe that he reminds us of what is important, that our priorities need to be to love the people we love, to be kind to strangers, to put God first in our lives. Neither money nor power nor fame will soothe the pain of illness, or the death of a loved one. Jesus tells us that He will help us carry our cross; all we need to do is ask for help.
There’s a tendency to think that whatever cross we bear must be easier than the crosses of others. A story is told about a man who complained to God about the difficulty of carrying his cross. God invites him to a hall where the crosses of other men and women are lined up and he is told that he can exchange his cross for one of the other crosses lined up against the walls. The man takes his time as he circles the room and experiences the difficulties involved in these other crosses. When he completes the circle, he chooses to pick up his own cross. Let us carry our crosses and not desire to be any other than we are; knowing that Jesus is with us all the time.
Bernice told me that at one point in her life she was dissatisfied with her job and wanted something more until she saw a woman dragging her child along side her telling the child they could not have a cookie because she didn’t have a job. It was at that moment that she realized how blessed she was just to have a job.
Sometimes we don’t realize how blessed we are to carry our cross whatever it may be until we see someone else carrying a bigger cross. God never said life would be easy....he said it would be worth it.... no matter how big a cross we carry, it can never compare to the one Jesus carried for all of us.... let that sink in for a minute......then pick up your cross and continue on your journey through life trusting that when you feel your cross is too heavy to bear God will help you to carry it.
Prayer:
Father in heaven Thank you for loving us and sending JESUS to pay the price of our sins that we could not repay. Dear Lord JESUS, the cross you bore carried the pain of all people of all time. When we complain to you, remind us of your sacrifice so that we might live with you for all eternity. Continue to fill our heart with your Holy Spirit so we may continue to joyfully share your Gospel to the entire planet! In JESUS’ name we pray. Amen!
Jose Reyes.
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