I have only recently realized that every word I write is a gift from God and I would therefore like to publically thank Him for my ability and for the platform of Odyssey that allows for the publication of His gift. I am constantly overwhelmed by His goodness and grace, and I hope you, reader, feel the same.
Last week in Convo, Jan Harrison spoke of the reality of taking up the cross Jesus told us to bear. Crosses to bear are not flippant things such as an annoying roommate- they are pieces of suffering God saw fit for us to bear for our sanctification and His glory. The act of taking up this cross is something of daily consequence, made of discomfort, self-denial, and self-sacrifice. There is pain, there is the question of ‘why,’ and there is a newfound understanding of both the verse in Matthew 11:29 that states our yoke through Him is light and the fact that incarnate Jesus needed someone to help Him carry His cross to Golgotha (Mark 15:21-23).
Nonbelievers will see anyone who commits to this life as crazy. There is, of course, the rare case of Mother Teresa, who is respected by most people worldwide. However, cross bearing is seldom made that public or that beautifully selfless. Thus, part of the cross is the mark of ‘crazy’ written upon the bearer’s forehead. If you are a nonbeliever reading this, I hope you will continue to read and discover the love that propels this craziness. If you are a believer who is not bearing a cross, I hope you will continue to read in order to understand how you may be crazy. If you are a cross-bearing believer, I hope you are encouraged in your craziness.
Followers of Christ are required to take up their cross. Jesus Himself states this in Scripture: “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me’” (Matthew 16:24). Although one could definitely attempt to counter this requirement with the universal offer of salvation through belief alone, as stated in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will no perish, but have eternal life,” I must point out that a mere call to Jesus makes one shallow soil (see Luke 8:1-15). Shallow soil does not grow the productive vine Jesus speaks about in John 15:1-8. We do not need to earn salvation, but there should be fruits in our lives that show devotion. If Jesus can love us enough to come to this trash dump of an Earth (imagine sinful Earth compared to perfect Heaven) to die a painful death to free us from sin, we can live as flowering vines for His glory.
The idea of a flowering vine sounds pretty. Most people would like to imagine that they have flowering lives simply by being a Christian, but I have some terrible news: the fruitful vine does not come without toil. Toil is made of cross-bearing and struggle and cannot be compromised. Jesus does state that His yoke is light, but that is because yokes are shared. When a yoke is shared, it is lighter on both parties carrying it. God does not dump a yoke on us that is light enough to bear alone; He gives us a yoke that is light only when it is shared with His Awesomeness (most of this thought is developed from a personal experience relayed to me by Nastinka Morgan; if you are impressed, please be impressed with God and her, not me).
Therefore, we are to take up a cross that does hurt, but is lighter when borne with Him who made it. We are to look at our lives and ask, with the Holy Spirit, what is displeasing to God that He asks us to remove, and what is pleasing to Him that He asks us to add. He will always ask us. As evidenced by the free choice to sin in the Garden of Eden back in Genesis, God is not a tyrant that demands we do everything He asks. He simply asks, and loves us.
Sometimes, such additions and subtractions are small. My personal example of a “small” cross is God asking me to give up an hour of a Friday night with my friends to go to bed earlier so that I can wake up earlier on Saturday morning to participate in Campus Serve so that children can learn about Him. I only partially want to do this- much more of me would rather stay up late having fun with my friends and then sleep through half of Saturday. The only way Campus Serve attendance can be achieved for God’s glory is if I die to myself and what I want because I love the One who is calling me to die.
Calling someone to die does not sound like a loving thing, let alone like something that would come out of the mouth of a loving God. I have great news: God is loving me when He calls me to die to myself. He loves me so much He wants me to follow His great, beautiful plan for my life, not my minimalist, average plan. I have to die to myself and my plan in order to follow that better plan. Even if I dreamed as big as possible, as fantastically wonderful as my human brain allowed, it would be a tiny ideal compared to God’s plan.
God’s plan is more beautiful because it includes that singular experience which only He can gift: joy. Should God’s plan for me include a variety of painful crosses to bear that I will never understand in this life, it would still contain more joy than the smoothest path I could ever create for myself. Only God can give joy and there is particular joy in following His plan, no matter how frightening or uncomfortable.
The joy that comes from obedience is fueled by God pouring out His love for me throughout history with Jesus's saving death and resurrection and into the present with every lovely sunset and encouraging friend. I want to obey Him because I love Him for everything He has done and who He is: just, good, kind, loving, helpful, and more. Therefore, no matter the pain of the cross, it must be picked up. Our cross must be borne every day with obedience, love, and joy, reacting with a smile when the mark of ‘crazy’ is branded on our foreheads by a confused world, just as it branded our incredible Savior with the same word long ago.
