The Daily Cross

Jesus said this to them all. The cross is not reserved for missionaries and martyrs. It is the ordinary equipment of every disciple.

We often misname our crosses. A sick body, a hard boss, a difficult relative: these are trials, and God uses them, but they are not quite what Jesus meant. A cross is something you take up. It is a choice. It is the place where your will and His will cross, and you let His win. No one can take up your cross for you, and no one can force it on you.

Then comes the word that makes it hard: daily. Yesterday's surrender will not carry today. The self that was denied last night wakes up this morning wanting its rights again. Each day brings fresh places where we must choose: the word we would rather say, the grudge we would rather keep, the comfort we would rather not give up.

But the verse does not end with the cross. It ends with follow me. The cross is never the goal; Jesus is. We deny ourselves not to become miserable, but to be free to walk with Him. And He never asks us to carry anything down a road He has not already walked.

What is your cross today? Pick it up early, before the day decides for you.