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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Cross (as in the Cross of Christ) (08/17/06)
Burden of the cross:

What must it have been like to be Jesus carrying his own cross to his execution? Who among us would be up to the ordeal? I doubt that any of us could do it knowing what would happen when we arrived at the place of our own execution. Is it possible to imagine the pain that Jesus went through?

Many times when I have heard the expression that we all have out own cross to bear I have to stop and wonder if anyone has the slightest idea of what it would be like. The cross we have to bear is sometimes not easy for us but can we compare it with the one Jesus had to bear? Only Jesus could have been able to go on like he did when in his heart he must have known that God would have gladly wiped out all his tormentors in an instant, all he had to do is ask. Had Jesus ask God for help in his ordeal he would have condemned us all, and he knew it. Only Jesus could have held up in this ordeal for the sake of us all.

What does Jesus ask of us in return for the suffering he endured under the burden of the cross? He asks only for us to believe in him and love one another as he believed in us and loved us.

I have had times in my life when I felt that I was under a great burden and wondered if life was worth while. I thought I was bearing my own cross as I stumbled along feeling sorry for myself. I even thought of throwing the gift of life away because of self pity. I had nothing to hold me up because I had no faith to turn to. I didn’t believe in God or anything related to God. I was a lost soul just waiting to pass on to where I didn’t know or care. I didn’t find God in a flash of light or any sudden inspiration I came to God over a long period of time. I had to sink to a low enough point in my life where there was no where else to turn but God. One night in desperation I ask God to help me understand his word and to help me make the right decisions about my life. I started to read the Bible and with Gods help I begin to understand what I was reading. I started to make good decisions in my life, some of them were hard but with Gods help I did the right thing. God answered my prayers and helped me when I needed help the most. God lifted the burden of what I considered to be my own personal cross and from that time on life has been good.

Jesus carried a cross for me, so now it is for me to carry one for him. I do this by trying to write words that will in some way help others turn their lives around. I will carry this cross for Jesus and do the best I can to bring his word to others.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Jan Ackerson
08/26/06
Could you tell us more about your night of desperation, and the decisions you had to make? When you make a devotional more personal, it's more likely that readers will be able to relate to it.

This piece is well thought out, and nicely presented.