What Does It Mean to Take Up Your Cross?

Today's micro-post from the gospel of Luke comes from Luke 9:23-25

"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?"

This was not the first time I've heard the saying, "take up your cross," but it was the first time I asked myself what does this mean?

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life per John 14:6. To follow Jesus is to follow His example, love as He does, and keep His commands in this life. He leads us in this life and to the Father after death. Following Jesus is the key to the abundant life here on earth and the only way to truly save your life from eternal damnation. You can't do it on your own. Satan won't do it. His goal is to steal, kill, and destroy. And worldly riches won't satisfy a dying man. Without Christ, we're all dying.

So, we know why we follow Jesus, but what does taking up our cross look like? What does it mean to deny ourselves while also loving ourselves, which is also a commandment. "For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself." Galatians 5:14

Before Jesus was crucified, the cross symbolized execution, shame, surrender, and total loss of control. It was used in a public humiliation and execution ritual by the Romans. Jesus embodied our shame on the cross. He took it and He abolished it in the eyes of the Father. And in doing so, the meaning of the cross changes.

Now, we see the cross as a symbol of Jesus's sacrifice for us, His love for us, and it is a reminder of His ultimate obedience to the Father's will. The cross is a reminder of surrender. In surrendering to God, we put to death the darkness Satan has infused in us and we are renewed and restored, like Jesus, after His resurrection. We return to the glory that God created us to exemplify here on earth.

Taking up your cross may look like:

• surrendering control of your life to God / Jesus

• dying to the false self (the one Satan tells you is the real you)

• choosing obedience over comfort

• forgiving when you want revenge

• maintaining purity in a sexualized culture

• telling the truth when it costs you

• walking away from relationships that compromise your Spirit

• staying when God tells you to stay

• leaving when God tells you to leave

• seeking God's will in prayer and truly listening for His voice

• enduring misunderstanding or rejection because of your faith

• choosing conviction over popularity

• exemplifying sacrificial love: loving when it's not convenient

• serving without recognition

• choosing compassion over self-protection

Taking up your cross does not mean:

• seeking out suffering for suffering sake's

• putting yourself in unnecessary harmful situations

• tolerating abuse or remaining in harmful environments

• suppressing your personality or joy

• earning God's love through hardship

• carrying a literal wooden cross

• viewing martyrdom as necessary for glorification

Jesus carried the cross out of love and obedience not self-hatred.

Jesus endured the crufixtion because He loved us, because the Father loves us, because the Father willed it, and He sought to live-out the will of the Father. What we choose to endure in order to follow Jesus--the cross we choose to pick up--is done out of love for the Father, the Son, and ourselves.

Following Jesus is the greatest act of self-love.

We do not view our sacrifice as suffering, even when it brings us pain. We view the sacrifices we choose to make as worthy, because He is worthy of our love and obedience. And we know that the suffering we may endure because of our faith in Him is no comparison to the suffering of a life without Christ and an eternity with Satan as our steward. There is freedom in following Jesus, even when our path is bumpy.

What does taking up the cross look like in my own life? Well, I'll give you the most recent examples.

• Praying when I feel angry and seeking to be restored with His love and compassion for others.

• Asking God to help me forgive others.

• Seeing others with a more compassionate lens, because I know they're doing the best they can.

• Seeking Him diligently, because without regular study of His word, embodying His character is more difficult.

• Taking more opportunities to help others, even if that's just making time for a meaningful conversation.

• Serving others at church and in my community.

• Because I'm in His word more and His presence is growing inside me, I find myself sharing about God more in conversation, which I know has helped others.

• Coming back to Truth when I spiral. This may look like restraining myself from acting pre-maturely or out of impatience.

Surrender is a daily choice, which is why we're told to take up our cross daily and follow Him.

Surrender looks different in different seasons. What do you need to surrender to God today? What does taking up your cross look like in this season?

While surrender and obedience can be painful, you can see from my list that it isn't always. Surrender isn't always sacrifice, but every time, it's transformative. Obedience isn't always painful, but every time, it leads to good things. Let us be transformed by the Holy Spirit and the love God has for us. Let us be a good thing for the kingdom of God. Let us remind Jesus why He made the choice He did and why it was worth it.