take up your cross...........

painting by petals and brushes

"...whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."

~ luke 9:23

our pastor spoke on this verse this past sunday.

did you know that the cross was the primary method of execution in that time?

gruesome, right?

yet us jesus-girls display our crosses proudly.......on our bodies, in our homes......

we want the world to know that we are CHRISTIANS.

we follow Christ.

but "taking up our cross" is so much more than just a symbol to show the world.

taking up our cross means sacrifice. dying to self. following the will of our God.

so often, i think i'm doing such a good job....

going to church, reading my bible...........

then i look back and see i dropped my cross a few blocks back.

i realize that, actually, i've just been satisfying my own needs.

ever been there?

reviewing my life, i can see so clearly those times that i put my cross down and continued on my way.

in my own way.

He didn't let me go, even then, but i know it would have been so much more...satisfying, joyful, peaceful.....(insert happy adjective here).......had i bore my cross.

'cause in the long run, it's so much easier.

following HIS way, listening and obeying HIS words.

and - pay attention now, this is a biggie - it says "daily"

we make the decision to follow Christ but the work doesn't stop there.

every day we must pick up our cross, decide to follow Him and do His will.

every day. every hour. every minute. every second.......

i mess up. i'm constantly dropping my cross. so i strive to check in with God every moment.

touch base, make sure i've got that cross...... 'cause i know He's got me.

maybe, instead of using our crosses to show something to the world, we should use our crosses for ourselves.

as a reminder.

got your cross?