When Jesus told the disciples to take up their cross and follow Him, I'm sure they were quite confused. Possibly thinking He was a bit off his rocker. Why? Because to them, a cross represented the worse of thieves and other criminals. When they saw a cross, it was because someone had done something very, very bad. They never saw little gold chains with shiny dangling crosses handing from around anyone's neck, nor tattoos with crosses on anyone's arm, or decorative crosses hanging on anyone's wall. No, when they saw a cross, they knew that someone awful had happened and it most certainly was no accessory they were ever going to have!
But Jesus, I believe, I was telling them something much deeper. I think He was trying to explain to them that they are supposed to leave all that they do, all that they know, all the defines them, all that confines them, all that traps them, all that distracts them from the one true purpose of life, and make HIM all that they do, make HIM all that they know, make HIM all the defines them, make HIM all that confines them, make HIM all that SETS US FREE, make HIM all that distracts us from the WORLD. HE should be our one and only purpose for everything we do.
Can you take up YOUR cross? Or is that task still just too heavy to lift?
That just goes to show that children take in what they hear on TV.....lol
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