Discipleship, being a follower of Jesus Christ, is a choice.
Nobody is forced to take it up. Jesus makes it very clear that it is not an
easy way to live. How we understand our life and give it value influences what
we consider as “saving” or “losing” our life. It also affects the decisions and
actions we make.
We are invited to follow in his footsteps. Like him, we are to
be ready to take up our cross, whatever it may be, and carry it behind him.
Notice, Jesus tells the disciples to take up their own cross, not his. The
cross will be different for each person; it takes the form of some difficult
thing. Something not chosen but clear.
Only by uniting our suffering in life to that of Jesus can we
carry our crosses. Is there something in our life today or every day that we
are struggling under the weight of?
Being
a follower of Jesus Christ means to choose to love God with your whole mind,
heart, and soul, and to love your neighbor as yourself. These are the choices and
decisions we need to make if we are to be disciples of Christ. In all we do in
our day-to-day life, we need to know that God is present in all our struggles.
Do we make time each day to pray and to give thanks to God for the gift of life
that he has given us? There are days when we’re struggling with our problems or
health issues. But during these times of struggle, do we turn to God to seek help
in our needs? Just being a follower of Jesus Christ doesn’t guarantee good
health or no worries. It’s during these times of struggle that we pick up our
cross and ask the Lord to help us to carry it. With Christ we offer our
struggles up to God realizing that God is there to give us comfort even during
our trials. In all things that occur to us in our lives, we need to ask God for
the wisdom to see his presence in these struggles. It is through the turning to
Christ during our struggles that we will have that peace that can only come
from him.
Let us pray for the freedom we need to be able to let go of our
cares and worries, to realize that our life is not ours to save; it comes from
God and its fullness lies in God. Let us offer all our struggles to the Lord,
asking for Jesus to be ever present to help us carry our crosses. Jesus will
always be there present to us whenever we turn to him in our needs and cares.
It is then that we can find that peace that can come only from the Lord Jesus
Christ.
From Arlene B. Muller
ReplyDeleteThe mystery of suffering is one of the most--if not THE MOST--difficult aspects of life--even our Christian life. It is sometimes hard to accept that & a struggle to understand why GOD allows suffering & especially why He allows those of us who are committed to following Him & being good to suffer & why GOD, Who can do anything & for Whom all things are possible, would choose that His only Son endure the most horrible form of suffering & death imaginable as the means of our salvation & of reconciliation between GOD & human beings.
In my human nature I tend to think of love as doing everything possible to protect the people we love from suffering and pain. My nature is to try to do everything I possibly can except for doing something sinful or immoral to prevent myself & others from undergoing suffering. Personally I am committed to doing what GOD wants me to do but I struggle with the prospect of saying "Do with me what You will" because it could result in accepting bad things like dementia, mental illness, cancer, and/or being incapacitated & unable to function in my ministries & to do the things I love.
I wish the LORD'S promise would be "Follow Me & I will not allow anything bad to happen to you".
But then we would become His followers for all the wrong reasons & become only "fair weather friends". Love is not love unless it endures "in good times & bad", and does not grow without being tested & without overcoming the obstacles & trials of life.
You will not find me volunteering for suffering or even giving permission. But in every human life there is suffering. Although GOD never promises to protect us FROM suffering--even though there are countless times He does--He ALWAYS is faithful to His promise to remain with us & protect & help us THROUGH times of suffering. If we depend on the LORD for His grace to endure & to cooperate with Him in our times of trial we will experience His Presence with us & even experience His working in & through us to do what we never could have done on our own (even "more than we could ask or imagine"). Maybe THIS is what taking up our crosses means.
St. Clare of Assisi spent much of her life meditating on the Crucified Christ & seeking to become a "mirror" of CHRIST & part of this was to persevere in her vision that her order would embrace poverty to a greater extent than previous religious orders & not owning property. She suffered from illness & still did the best she could to help her sister religious under her care & persevere in working for the acceptance of her rule, & this was finally accomplished when she was on her deathbed on the day before she died. St. Clare of Assisi devoted her life taking up her Cross & following Our LORD.
May the LORD give each of us the grace to do what is ours to do in this life & know the complete joy of being with Him in heaven