In Luke 9:23, Jesus looks at his disciples and tells them, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it."
In Roman times, the cross was seen as a terrifying object of torture, suffering, and execution. If you were carrying a cross, you were on your way to be crucified. When Jesus makes this statement, the disciples must’ve been terrified.
So what does it mean to carry your cross?
Let's go to the scene of the agony in the garden. Jesus is praying to God The Father. He is sweating drops of blood because He is so petrified in His humanity of the events that were about to unfold. He knew very well that He was about to be taken away and sentenced to death on a cross. He prays the prayer, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will." (Matthew 26:39)
Jesus knows that it is the Father's will that He dies on the cross. Jesus willfully accepts this because of His perfect submission to God's will and His Love for you and me.
He knows what He will go through will be painful, and he will suffer very much. But He knows that God's plan will triumph and He will rise again on the third day.
Trust in god amid the storms
To carry your cross, means to fully put your trust in God amid the storms and battles in your life. It means that although you may be in an extremely difficult or painful situation, you always trust that God is with you in the midst of your suffering.
As Christians, we try to live our life according to the will of God. We commit to following His commandments and we do not live as the culture tells us to. Living this way comes with persecution, temptation, and pain. We must carry our cross for Jesus. He is with us each step of the way.
Just as Christ rose again on the third day, those who love God and trust in Him shall have victory, whether it be in this life or the next.
Human suffering
Jesus didn't die on the cross to end human suffering. Just look around, the world is in pain. There is starvation, natural disasters, crime, abortion and many other awful things. Christ became human and filled pain and suffering with His eternal presence.
In the darkest moments of our life, or even the everyday struggles and temptations we face, Jesus is there.
Just as He willingly took up His cross for us, we must take up our cross for Him.
Sharing in Christ’s suffering
In Colossians 1:24 Paul says, "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, which is the church."
What was Christ's suffering lacking? Was it incomplete? No, of course not.
But when we look at what Paul is saying it is very clear that he is speaking about taking part in Christ's suffering for the sake of the Church.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “By His passion and death on the cross Christ has given a new meaning to suffering: it can henceforth configure us to him and unite us with his redemptive passion.” (1505)
What this means, is when we are carrying our own crosses, we get to share in Christ's redemption of the world. It means that our suffering is not worthless. It's not just pain that has no value. When we trust in Christ during our struggles, our pain will be used to save sinners and redeem the world.
Your Pain Has Purpose
Don't waste your suffering. It's powerful and beautiful. When you carry your cross, think about somebody important to you. Maybe it's someone else who is going through a difficult time. It could be for the conversion of a loved one. God will use our crosses, to not just build us, but build others as well.
Whenever I think about this sentiment, I always come to the problem with people dying from the result of their suffering. I think of someone who may have passed away from a sickness or disease, somebody who was in an accident or other causes of death. How does God use this? Well, every situation is different and I don't think this has a one-size fits all answer.
What can be said, is that God tells us that "all things work together for good for those who love Him." Romans 8:28. If we take a step back and try to imagine the world as God does, it's a bit like a parent’s understanding of the world versus how a four year old understands the world.
God has a plan. We must trust in Him in good, and most definitely in bad times. Of course, this isn't easy to do. Our human nature wants to run away from this. But we must deny ourselves and trust God's will in all things. Someday, when we get to see things how God has seen them, I think we will all cry tears of joy.
God bless you.
