What do you personally think about or feel when you hear the words: humiliation, shame, being judged, sacrifice, or suffering?
These words may conjure up experiences you faced or supporting a hurting friend or family member.
Can you imagine Jesus, the Son of the Living God, enduring what He went through towards His crucifixion!?
He instructs us in Matthew 16:24, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
To “take up your cross” was not a poetic religious saying. It meant walking the road of surrender and humiliation, suffering towards execution. To deny ourselves means letting go of the need to be right. Not having to defend our image. Surrendering control. Choosing obedience over comfort.
In this life, we all want to avoid suffering. But Jesus walks with us through it. When we deal with pride, Jesus calls us to a life of humility. He wants us to forgive, not retaliate. To initiate grace rather than grumbling when we are being judged. UGH! That’s easier said than lived out!
May the Lord strengthen us to live a life pleasing to Him, denying areas that don’t promote transformation and taking up our cross daily! Lord, help us not to feel alone when we feel rejected, judged, or shamed. We know You are with us, having carried Your cross, that we may live in freedom, aloha, grace, and strength — by the power of Your Spirit!
