12357a

A weary cleaning woman said to her friend, “The trouble with life is that it’s so daily.”

We all feel that way some days. But in reality, one of the best things about life is that we can take it one day at a time. In Luke 9:23, Jesus says, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me” (NLT).

Like the weary cleaning lady, we can become weary as followers of Jesus in picking up our cross daily. Life is a constant daily battle of saying no to self and yes to Him. Christ gives us the choice every morning and during every step of our day to pick up our cross and follow Him. Instead of viewing it through weary eyes like the cleaning lady, we need to be reminded that one of the best things in life is that we can take it one day at a time. I am so grateful that Jesus is faithful and His mercies are new every morning.

Every summer I meet with a group of women who go through a book together. Our book this summer is A Path through Suffering by Elizabeth Elliot. At first I thought, “Oh great, this is a heavy book and we are all going to suffer.” Instead, it has made me think deeper about the meaning of picking up my cross daily.

The cross is more than a symbol of pain and suffering. It is more than acceptance of a burdensome or uncomfortable task. Jesus meant something far deeper when He told His disciples to carry their cross. He meant the cross to be a symbol of death. The disciples needed to put to death their own plans and desires, and turn their lives over to Jesus every day. Only then would they know His will and do it!

The cross separates our old lives from our new lives in Christ. It stands between our pasts and us. The cross sets us apart from the world. When I pick up my cross daily, I am saying to Jesus, “I commit my whole life to You. I trust in You alone for my salvation. You are the master of my life and I will follow You daily. I give up my hopes, dreams, and possessions. My life is Your path for me. I am Yours forever.”

These are hard words to carry out or act upon. That is why I am grateful that Jesus said, “Take up your cross daily.” Taking up your cross daily is an act of continual surrender each and every day. Jesus asks us to do this one day at a time and He knew it would not be easy. In Matthew 26:39 Jesus bowed His face to the ground and prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (NLT).

Jesus wants us to make that same choice of giving ourselves to Him just as He made the choice to give Himself up for us on the cross, despite the fact that His human flesh would undergo terrible suffering. Jesus knows we are but dust. He knows how tender He needs to be with us. He knows how to move us along the path He has chosen for us.

When we choose to pick up our cross, we find the very power of God because it is in our weakness that His strength is evident in our lives. When we pick up the cross we will find suffering and pain, but we will also find salvation, hope, joy, and peace. Picking up the cross will transform us into new persons by changing the way we think. This is how we learn to know God’s will for our lives. The cross guards our souls. It is the gift of life.

As believers, we have all been called to serve God individually with very different tasks and responsibilities. Every believer has different gifts, talents, and abilities. However, as believers, we are linked together as a team with the same common purpose, message, and goal—the cross!

Our choice to receive Jesus into our lives as our Lord and Savior is made only once, but we will continue to affirm that decision in thousands of ways and through thousands of choices for the rest of our lives. My will or His will? My way or His Way? Yes to myself or yes to Him? This continual affirmation is usually made in small things and inconveniences. It is unselfishly giving up the way we think things should be and yielding gracefully to the wishes of others. It is openly testifying of the Savior before those who don’t want to be reminded of Jesus or His claim.

We may have trials and afflictions that are hard to bear, even with God’s help. We may be called to walk through this world with a smile on our face even while our hearts are breaking. We may even find ourselves in situations that will force us to choose death to self and life to God’s plans and purposes. In each of these situations, we must look to Jesus—our supreme example of death and life.