Life is brutally unfair. It grabs us by our necks and tosses around like ragdolls when it wants. Even though we believe in human equality…life sure doesn’t seem to agree with us. God fearing people die daily in this world…which forms angry atheists and confused believers. Human suffering is mean, cruel and stoic towards all of us.
Independent of all the external chaos that occurs in the world, let’s consider the internal chaos we feel… our minds. From deep insecurities to screaming anxiety…the human consciousness is seemingly everything but calm. “We suffer more in imagination than we do in reality” says the ancient stoic Seneca. Addictions from sex to drugs mock our peace…leaving us lonely and confused.
I know without a shadow of a doubt that you, (yes you) reading this has something causing you anxiety or fear. There is something that you are overthinking about more than you should. You most definitely have insecurities that you try to hide or hate. You might even be run over by physical suffering…which can smother your smile. There is virtually no way you’re not suffering in some way, shape or form. We all hold hands together as a human species with these universal feelings. Suffering is a part of us, rather we like it or not.
The title of this page was one of the most potent scripture verses to my conscious, a profound stab to my frustrations as a new believer. What is the cross he is referring to when he says, “take up your cross and follow me?”
We all have our own cross, which represent our personal chaos. The crosses are very unique to each one of us, each holding varies weights of anxieties, addictions, depressions, fears, insecurities and physical pains. Some people have a cross with a recent divorce…others have one with a life-changing medical diagnosis. One person has just lost a loved one while another is suffering from severe depression with no outlet. The crosses are heavy for all of us. It simply hurts to carry.
Christ tells us to pick up this heavy cross anyway, to put it on our backs and follow him. We toss our crosses on our backs, lift up and slowly stroll towards him. He is constantly looking back, smiling and verbally motivating us. He is leading, we are following. The walk towards him is dreadful at first. It is a heavy burden on our back. Every so often we begin to stumble over, but right before we do someone grabs the end of our cross and holds it up for us. It is Christ, tediously making sure we don’t fall down. He even holds our cross entirely at times…making sure we catch our breath. He then gives it back to us…so we can keep on with our journey.
Christ told us two things that align with the above. 1. To pick up your cross and follow him 2. To come to him if your burdens are heavy and he will give you rest. Picking up your cross is not easy, to walk to Christ is even harder. This my friends, is using faith. Faith is hard, scary and uncomfortable. Faith is also something we all are capable of if we open our hearts.
As you use faith, “let go” for Christ…he will be the ultimate support system…constantly making sure your cross is being held and carried behind him. The beautiful aspect of all of this is in regard to our savior: He, at one point in his existence, carried a monumental cross on his back…one that is incomprehensible to our human minds. The atonement and the physical death of our savior was a cross that was astronomically heavy. He pushed and accomplished his journey.
It’s important to note that our sufferings in life will not be removed because Christ is in our lives. He wants us to grow…and the only way to grow is through experiences that aren’t fun. The crosses we carry are still on our backs…he doesn’t remove it and carry it for us.
One needs to look no further than Paul as the example, who lived a downright horrible life. He was in a chaotic shipwreck. He had no food and clothing much of the time. His needs were far from met. His old friends mocked him for his dramatic change in beliefs. All of these terrible things only to be beheaded under Roman emperor Nero for his faith.
From a humanly perspective, one who reads this would read a depressing life of turmoil and destruction. From a heavenly perspective, we can read this and see that Paul was genuinely content, fulfilled and happy all along. He even wrote on the beauty of his suffering and his peace from within. Friends, our suffering will definitely continue all around us. We will still lose loved ones. We will still feel heartbreaks. We will still live in a world with accidents, natural disasters and war. With this being said, Christ can come in and change you from within…bringing you the same peace Paul felt. Once your inner world is peaceful, the outer world has no power over you.
This isn’t to say that God above cannot change and influence situations for our good, which he does at times. It is just to say that many times he wants us to endure and be in chaos in this world…and allow him to heal, fix and bless us from within. The sooner you walk to Christ with your cross…the sooner he will change you in ways you cannot comprehend.
-Jarom
NO ATTACHMENT IS FREEDOM 