Two weeks ago was the school
presentation of the Living Stations of the Cross. The 7th and 8th grade
students did such a wonderful job representing each station and really bringing
home the season of Lent. During both
presentations, I could not help but think of the crosses we bear.
If you haven’t figured it out by now,
we all have crosses to bear. Some
crosses are very public and are shared all over the news, and other crosses are
very personal and private. As I think
about my own crosses, and yes we all have more than one, I often have to wonder
why I have the cross that I have. I am
sure that makes no sense, so I will do my best to explain…
There are two types of crosses, the
ones we create ourselves, and the ones given to us by God. Yes, God does give us a cross to carry, just
like He did his Son. Do you overschedule
your time? Do you wonder when your
family is ever going to sit down and have dinner as a family? Are we constantly on the go and do not know
how to relax and just let the world turn?
Is the burden of taking children from one practice to another, and
picking the other, getting to be too much?
These are just a few examples of the crosses we created for ourselves.
What about the crosses God has given
us? Could it be taking care of an aging
loved one? Or dealing with the death of
a friend or family member? Again, God
does give us crosses.
So now that you have thought about your
crosses, my question is what are you going to do about them? What are you going to do to remove the cross,
or at the least lighten its load? During
this time of Lent, we all have made our Lenten promises. We have made an attempt to lighten the cross
that we are carrying. How is that
going? Have you looked at your Facebook
account, or given in to that tempting piece of chocolate?
The season of Lent is often considered
a time of sadness, for the Lord God is about to sacrifice His only Son. However, let’s look at the positive light
that God shines on this season. God gave
his only Son for the sins of all. While
the death of Jesus is a seriously sad thing, look at what happened because of
this selfless act. I challenge you to
remember this when you want to complain about the cross you are caring. Picture in your mind Jesus carrying the cross
or falling, or seeing his mother, then remember Jesus is our friend and someone
we can count on, when our cross gets too heavy.
We can count on Him, when we turn to Him and ask his help.
So, as we finish this third Sunday in
Lent, and your cross is getting heavy, the temptations are getting harder and
harder to push away, take some time and spend it with God. Go to that quiet place, sit in silence,
invite Him into your thoughts and prayers.
Ask Him for the strength and courage to continue to carry the cross He
has given you. God is there and ready to
have that conversation and help you.
