If anyone would come after me,
he must . . . take up his cross.
—Mark 8:34b
Are you dealing with a cantankerous spouse? An out-of-control teenager? A co-worker you can’t stand? An out-of-warranty bucket of bolts that refuses to start on cold mornings?
“That’s my cross to bear,” you sigh.
Is that what Jesus meant when he said if you would be his disciple you must take up your cross?
No. The only purpose of a cross is to die on.
So what does it mean for you to take up your cross? It means that you die to self: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20).
Step one: Deny yourself. Step two: Take up your cross.
That’s the price of discipleship.
Taking up your cross is not tolerating
an inconvenience, but dying to self.