Take Up Your Cross
In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 10:34-.39, Jesus speaks some of His most challenging words. He reminds us that true discipleship is not about comfort or ease. He calls us to take up our cross, surrender control, and put Him first - even when it costs us.
Imagine buying a top-of-the-line GPS and programming it to take you to a rugged mountain peak. As the road gets steep, the pavement ends, and the cliffs become intimidating, the GPS suddenly warns: "This road looks uncomfortable. It might scratch your paint and strain your engine. I suggest turning around, finding the nearest drive-thru, and being happy where you are."
You would throw that GPS out the window. A GPS exists to guide you to the destination, not to keep you comfortable.
Yet that is how our culture often operates. It follows what is called "expressive individualism" - the belief that our highest duty is to protect our comfort, avoid conflict, and "live our truth."
So, when Jesus says, "Take up your cross and follow Me." our cultural GPS panics: "Warning! Sharing your faith may create tension. Recalculating! Putting God first may feel restrictive. Abort route! Standing for biblical truth could cost relationships. Turn back!"
And we're tempted to listen, to try to reshape Christianity into something that preserves our comfort, status, and approval. We often want a Savior who blesses our plans rather than a Lord who directs our lives.
But Jesus warns about going down that road of self-preservation,
Whoever finds his life will lose it." When comfort and self-preservation become our guides, we end up worshiping idols - like comfort and human approval - that can neither save us nor sustain us.
Then Jesus offers something far better. He does not merely give us a map and tell us to figure out the way; He says, "I am the Way." He traveled the most painful, bumpy, terrifying, hardest road of all - the road to Calvary. He endured rejection, abandonment, and the judgment our sins deserved so that we might be saved.
Because Jesus died and rose again, the destination of your life is already settled and secure. Your eternal life is safe in Him. You no longer need to fear losing comfort, status, or even relationships. You can silence the voice of the world, take up your cross each day, and follow Jesus with confidence - even through the bumpiest of roads - knowing that the One who leads you has already won the journey.