The True Meaning of “Take Up Your Cross”
Our dictionary states a disciple is simply “a follower or student of a teacher, leader, or philosopher.” In our Christian faith, we are disciples of Jesus. We choose to follow Him. We want to learn from Him. But Jesus requires more from His disciples. When we break it down, it humbles us – even terrifies us. He is referring to complete surrender!
“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me’” (Matthew 16:24).
Attempting to Control
I am an over-planner; meaning I take great pains to plan and outline each day, week and month of my life. I even have yearly goals written out. This isn’t inherently a bad thing. In fact, it’s touted as a fine trait for those who want to “advance” or “be successful”. But here’s the caveat. It can also bring a constant sense of failure or anxiety if the “to-do” list doesn’t get done. Then, what do I do? I ADD it to the next day and so on … Okay. Well, WHY do I do this (and other things)? I think God is prompting me to look more deeply into answering that question.
My first answer to that question is that it proudly demonstrates my so-called “organizational skills”. Whatever. Oh, how haughty that sounds! “Lord, I see what you’re doing here.” My real answer is humbly admitting that I do it partially because I want to keep CONTROL over my days, hours – my life. I say I want to obey. I say I want to follow you. But then I read and write in my planner – over and over – trying to “do better” and perhaps dodge the next painful thing in life to come. We all do this. We attempt to plan every detail in this life hoping to evade bad things (rejection, career missteps, physical limitations, illness, pain, death…).
In reality, “doing better” means to simply allow God to direct me. To follow Jesus means to allow and trust His direction even while acknowledging that this life is, and will continue to be, hard; knowing that going “all in” clarifies scripture. If we want what Jesus has to offer – eternal life, we must “bear our cross” in this earthly life. It means complete surrender to Him. Loving Him is a sacrifice. I love Him because He created me, He sacrificed for me (bore His cross for me); but most of all, it is because He first loved me. It is a humbling full circle.
Endurance
This life is most certainly difficult. There are portions of our lives that seem unbearable. But there is a reason for hope even in the face of sheer agony. The apostle Paul describes it this way in Romans 5:1-5:
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Suffering makes us cry out to our Father. Our lives are about so much more than what we do on this earth. It is about love; even in our grief – loving others and loving Him. When we cling so tightly to things that we perceive to control, is when we realize something is off. We feel a vague sense of chronic anxiety, not understanding the cause. We must understand that it is a mere delusion that we control anything. True, we have responsibilities, but our most humble responsibility is clinging to Jesus. When we do that, even our suffering becomes more bearable. Even in my darkest of days, I knew and understood God was with me. I cannot even fathom the sheer terror I would have felt if I’d thought He was not!
Leaning on the Savior
Still, we always just want to fix it ourselves or want God to instantly fix it. Even during more peaceful seasons, we try to control our daily lives with a fine-tooth comb. Worse, we try to control others! This creates suffering on its own with a kind of uneasy thought of being swept away at any moment; constantly waiting for the “next shoe to drop.”
Note that Jesus’s and Paul’s words regarding long-suffering were directed to Christ-believers! It is a warning to not get distracted and know that in obedience and surrender, we must endure. It is hardly easy and certainly not something we can overcome (or control) on our own. Let us cling to HIS cross as a reminder that following Him is not for the faint of heart, but so very worth it! Our eternal lives depend on it.
Tonya Noren
February 6, 2022