Take Up Your Cross

In Luke 9:23, Jesus said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”

Those words have long echoed in my head and in my heart.

“Take up your cross and follow me.”

But the burden is too heavy, Lord.

“Take up your cross and follow me.”

But I’ve already messed up, Lord, maybe tomorrow.

“Take up your cross and follow me.”

But I don’t know what to do, Lord.

“Take up your cross and follow me.”

As believers in Christ, our path has been made clear. We can choose to overcomplicate it, to distract ourselves just enough so we can’t see it, or we can start walking it – one step at a time – until we’re hand-in-hand with our Lord, down in the trenches, carrying our crosses and working together to lighten the burdens of this world.

I’ve thought long and hard about what it means to “take up your cross”, and I understand the overall gist, but really and truly, all I know is that taking up my cross is HARD.

But that’s the point, isn’t it?

It’s not supposed to be easy to follow Christ. By following Christ, we will be blessed, but blessing and hardship are not mutually exclusive. We are not guaranteed a smooth road ahead. In fact, quite the opposite. Jesus, himself, warned we would have troubles in this life. But he also said to take heart, because he has overcome the world (John 16:33).

I want to be an overcomer, too.

But first… my cross.

Crucifixion was slow and painful. It was often used as a method of terror and dissuasion, a warning to those who were thinking about walking the same path as the victim. It was terrible, no doubt, and it was always public. Often the condemned were forced to carry their crosses themselves. If they were fortunate, they would only carry the 100-pound crossbeam. If they weren’t, they’d carry the whole thing, a 300-pound burden.

Nothing about the cross was easy.

Nothing about it was private.

Nothing about it was timely.

Nothing about it was light.

But our Lord, knowing He was doomed to die on the cross, knowing He would be pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our sins, walked willingly down the path toward death and emerged victorious. The punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).

Healed. Whole. Worthy.

A reminder I often repeat to myself when life gets too hard. When the path gets harder and harder to walk. When I’m tempted to take the “easy” road and say something I shouldn’t or react out of spite or impulse when I should just pray. 

A reminder that is honestly never too far from my lips.

Healed. Whole. Worthy.

By his wounds, we are healed, so, “take up your cross and follow me.”

What do we have to lose? Ourselves? Good.

When we take up our crosses, God’s Spirit is with us. He's with us the moment we accept Christ, and He will never leave us. We don't have to do this thing alone. We are not controlled by our sinful nature. We are controlled by the Spirit living within us. And because Christ lives within us, we have no obligation to do what our sinful nature urges us to do. (Romans 8:9,12)

We are still going to mess up. We are still going to make mistakes. We are still sinners and will be until the day we are made new in Heaven. We do not need to strive for perfection; we are already made perfect in Christ. In this life, our progress IS our perfection.

All we can do is take the weight of our crosses and lift them up daily as an act of praise and worship to our Lord who loves us. Our Lord who was willing to die for us, who has made us an equal heir of God’s glory. This world would have us believe that we are doing it wrong because we suffer, but if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. (Romans 8:17) 

What we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later – we are all waiting eagerly for that future day (Romans 8:18) when God will reveal His glory to us in full. The day we are fully released from our bondage is our greatest hope. Until then, though...

Our path is clear.

“Take up your cross and follow me.”

Together, if we share its weight and believe in the power we have in Christ, we, too, can overcome the cross and live in victory with our Lord. 

Progress, not perfection.

Every day.

Every moment.

Every opportunity.

The old has gone; the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). Through both our blessings and our hardships, though we are afflicted in every way, we are not crushed. Though we are perplexed, we are not driven to despair. (2 Corinthians 4:8).

“Take up your cross and follow me.”

What will this mean for you today? What will it mean for you tomorrow?

For me, to live is Christ. (Philippians 1:21) And I pray the same for you.

Father, thank you for lightening our burdens, for taking the weight of perfection and requiring only progress. Who are we to deserve your unending mercy and grace? To be made equal heirs of your Kingdom? To be known by you and loved just the same? Thank you for sending your Son to be lifted up our behalf so that we could, in turn, be drawn to Him, then draw others to Him. I pray we would not see the call to take up our crosses as a burden, but that we would be forever changed for the better knowing we are made perfect in and through Christ, and can, like Him, walk with You as we carry out Your work here on earth. Your yoke is easy and your burden is light, but only if we view it as such. Help us to do so, Lord, so that we may help others in Your sweet and holy name. Amen.