The Cross I Have to Bear

From time to time I hear people say, "This is just the cross I have to bear."  They usually say it with a pained expression on their face, as they refer to a trial or emotional pain they suffer.


I have to be honest: I don't like this saying at all.  Here are three main reasons.


First, for us as Christians, the cross is a symbol not of our suffering, but of our freedom and joy.  Yes, the cross brought intense pain to our Savior on our behalf.  But as we look back at the cross of Jesus, we should be filled with gratitude and humility.  We don't want to limit the cross in our minds as being something ugly or terrible, because there is so much joy and hope in what our Savior did for us.  


Second, we don't want to put ourselves in the place of Christ, acting as a martyr under some kind of instrument of suffering.  Christ bore our penalty through His suffering; He took the punishment for our sin.  While we are to "Take up [our] cross daily and follow [Christ]" (Luke 9:23), this is not a cross of suffering, but a conscious choice to identify ourselves with Jesus' suffering in our place.  Again we see that the cross is to be a source of joy and peace, not of our personal suffering.


Third, why do we feel like we need to bear our own burdens, anyway?  Jesus invited us to cast our burdens on Him.  Matthew 11:28-30 say, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."  


Dear brother or sister in Christ, let's walk through life in joy and victory, casting our burdens on the Lord, and looking to the cross with gratitude and hope.