When the Cross Feels Super Heavy

I think everyone has gone through at least one season when the Cross feels really heavy. Jesus stands on the path you are on and says” keep going”. Your response is short and simple” no Lord, I don’t want to.”

That is how I have been feeling. When I was running today and listening to music I heard this song about the Cross. I was thinking about it. The Cross- I have carried it with the help of my Good Shepherd since I was 12 years old. He has walked many valleys, fields and even climbed a few mountains with me- the Cross with me every step.

Today the Lord reminded me, that I do not carry it alone. He is with me. I do not need to be afraid. He also reminded me of the verse in Matthew 28:30-31 “ Come to Me, all of you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Some days I forget. I come to Him, but fail somehow to really allow Him to bear the weight of the burden. No wonder I find myself tired sometimes.

He reminds me that He knows the path ahead, even if I don’t even see a path. He reminded me this morning that He lead His people through the desert and there are no pathways there.

Maybe you feel a bit like I do, you need Him to strengthen you for some journey He has you on or is calling you to. He promises us in His Word to not be afraid for He is with us. Do not anxously look about you, for He is your God. Surely He will help you, surely He will uphold you with His righteous right hand.” Isa. 41:10

The Hard Stuff

Today I was thinking about the hard stuff of life. Those things we should do, but frankly they are too difficult. It is easier to talk about running than to actually go running. It is simpler to speak about forgiveness than to truly forgive someone.

There are many things in life that are hard to do and so we dismiss them. I have made promises I need to follow through on and have not as of yet. There are books I should read that remain unopened. I also have projects I would like to begin but have not found the time to do so. Our getting around to these difficult things can be a real challenge.

What is it that stands in our way? Today I was reading Romans 8:37-39. These verses remind us that “we are more than conquerors through Him (Jesus) who loved us.” There is nothing that is too hard on my to-do list that through Jesus I cannot complete. He is with me and nothing can ever separate me from His love, His promises, His strength, His wisdom, His peace, and His presence. He is always with me. On this truth I stand and from this perspective I face each challenge as it arises.

Yesterday was the 14th anniversary of my mother’s passing. The anniversary of her death is a very difficult time for me, a valley. Yet, as December 6th comes and goes, I am reminded that the Good Shepherd never leaves me. His peace that surpasses all understanding is right here with me amidst the sorrow and the crushing loss I feel because of the loss of my late mother.