to take up YOUR cross

[anti_nietzsche]

On another board some years ago I had a discussion with another christian about taking up your cross. There was also a pastor at this board who held that the famous passage about taking up your cross means to accept to have to do sacrifices for the sake of love, in Jesus' spirit. Of course this is true. But what the first christian I mentioned added to the discussion was also very interesting: she emphasized that you have to take up YOUR cross, not just any cross. It means, you have to follow a calling, you have to follow your very own mission and do everything for it. That's what Christ did. He didn't open up a hospital or start a particular ministry. He followed His own calling. Likewise, we do not all have to be Mother Theresas, if we do not receive such a calling as Mother Therese got.

To give some example: right now it is my calling to live with my parents, particularly with my dad who is old and still atheistic in most things. I've had this vision ... I was helping my dad with something and he was grumpy and didn't thank me at all and I felt just a little upset. Then I suddenly saw a cross before my eyes, with sunshine on it. I knew it meant that to take up your cross means to do stuff like caring for someone even when he doesn't seem to appreciate it. That's what Jesus did for us all. He went to His cross knowing that we were not worth it. Knowing that not many of us would respond approbriately. Still He loved and loves us. Likewise we shall not cut ourselves off of other people if they do not love us like we might expect it.

I think this is the real meaning of taking up your cross. It comes up in our lives naturally, it's the difficulties and challenges we must face up to, things that arise by taking up the faith in a faithless world.