Do you feel tired of carrying your cross?
I mean… the cross Jesus referred to when He “said unto them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
“His cross…”
Your cross.
We all have unique crosses.
And sometimes, you may wonder why this cross has to be yours! “Why is this happening to me?”
Just like the man in this story…
The Troubled Man
A troubled and burdened man prayed and prayed that God would lift his burden. Day after day he prayed that his life would be easier, and he begged for God’s intervention.
One day, Jesus came to the man and asked, “My child, what troubles you?” The man replied that his life was full of turmoil and that it had become too much to bear. He again asked for help stating that he just couldn’t continue to go on.
Jesus, feeling the man’s anguish, decided help was in order. The man was so happy that his prayers were about to be answered that his burden already felt lighter.
Jesus took the man to a room and stopped in front of the door. When he opened the door, what the man saw was amazing. The room was filled with crosses; little crosses, big crosses, giant crosses. The man, bewildered, looked at Jesus and asked how this would help him. Jesus explained that each cross represented a burden that people carry; small burdens, big burdens, giant burdens — and every burden in-between.
At this point, Jesus offered the man the opportunity to choose his burden. The man, so excited that he was finally able to have some control over his life, looked around the room for just the right cross. He saw a tiny little cross way back in the corner. It was the smallest cross in the room. After a bit of thought, he pointed to the cross and said,
“That one, Lord. I want that one.”
Jesus asked, “Are you sure, my son?”
The man quickly replied, “Oh, yes Lord. Most definitely, yes.”
Jesus turned to the man and replied, “My child, you have chosen your own cross. It is the burden you already carry.”
The man looked at the cross and saw his name written on it.
What a surprise!
And something for you to pause and think about.
Own Your Cross
Because we are often tempted to look at the other side of the room and feel your cross is heavier than that of the brother and sister over there.
But if you’re doing that, you’re looking in the wrong direction.
The bible admonishes thus:
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrew 12: 2)
Looking unto Jesus.
We’re a few days away from Easter. And this season brings tons of teachings and lessons about the cross Christ bore for humanity.
No cross compares that gruesome cross of Jesus. A cross He bore for you and me.
Jesus held on to that cross, even at the hottest height of pain and shame.
Beyond The Cross
But you know, the cross is never the end of the story… as long as you hold on. Like Jesus… enduring the cross.
And how did it end?
He is now seated on the right hand of the throne of God, with a crown of glory on His head.
He conquered sin, death and the grave.
When you carry your Cross, with your eyes fixed on our Christ, a Crown of life awaits you.
No cross, No crown.
Don’t be like the man in our story looking for seemingly smaller crosses to carry. Yes, you can pray and cry out to God about those burdens.
But if the cross is “your cross”, that Jesus expects you to carry daily – the cross of consecration and self-denial – be willing to say “yes Lord” when He tells you “my grace is sufficient unto thee. Carry on your cross.”
Your Master’s life was dominated by a cross. He has called you also to a life with a cross. This clear gospel note is so easy to forget in flabby Western society. With a great chorus of custom, advertisement and temptation this world is beckoning you to a life of self-indulgence. Your flesh is drawn to that appeal, and will fall in with the world’s suggestions. But the Lord of glory has called you to a life of self-denial, to a cross. (Walter Chantry)
