Then he said to them all, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.’
Shouldering one’s cross doesn’t sound like much fun, but it’s what our Lord tells us that we need to be able to do if we want to be his followers. He tells us to “take up” our cross, our own individual cross. Jesus’ cross was something extraordinary, it represented unimaginable pain and suffering; he doesn’t want that for us. He took upon himself all the pain and suffering of the world, and the weight of our sins. Our road is not the same as his, but it has the same destination. And he is saying that if we are to follow him, we are to walk the same road as he did, to go where he leads.
Jesus carried his cross on a path, a road which led to Golgotha. Calvary was the way, and while it led to crucifixion and death, and a descent to the land of the dead, it culminated in his resurrection and then his glorious ascension. Taking up the cross is not just about the burden, the pain and the suffering. Carrying the cross means a direction and a movement forward. Sometimes it’s a struggle and sometimes someone will pick up the slack and help carry the cross, just like Simon of Cyrene was called upon to do for Jesus. Sometimes we do it all alone, without talking about it, and without fanfare. The essential thing to remember is that we’re not just holding up a cross, we’re picking it up and moving it, we’re travelling forward, always closer to our final home, always nearer to our dearest one.
Do I want to be a follower of Jesus, heck yes! I can think of nothing better or truer or more fulfilling than following him. Do I want to take up my cross? If that’s what it takes, you bet! Jesus tells us that his yoke is easy and his burden is light, and I trust what he says; there’s nothing to be scared of.
Tell Out My Soul 
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