Today’s scripture: Matthew 16:24-28 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Penny Dean):
I hate my job. During the week, it takes everything I have to get up and go to work. Hitting the snooze is not an option. Yet I drag myself to work everyday because I have to, not because I want to. While I’m grateful to have a job, I wonder what it would be like to spring out of bed in the morning and race out the door in anticipation because I love what I do. But this is where I am. Until I find another job or, I shudder to think, retire, this job is a cross to bear.
When criminals were crucified by the Romans, they bore their own crosses to the execution site. Jesus was no exception, although he did have some help from Simon of Cyrene. Crucifixion was not just an especially horrible way to die, it was also very public. The gospels record Jesus being taunted and flogged and humiliated as he hung on the cross for all to see.
Yet Jesus could have chosen to avoid this fate. He even asked God for an alternative (Matthew 26:36-42) but there was no snooze button for him. Had Jesus defended himself or escaped, his own soul would have been affected. As James would later say, “Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” (James 4:17, RSV) For Jesus to have avoided his fate would have made him a sinner. But he surrendered to the inevitable and allowed the Roman soldiers to lead him away.
There is great power in admitting where we are and facing our problems. How did Jesus’ own soul grow by staying and suffering and dying? He seems to have gone willingly and peacefully to the cross knowing that peace is not always the avoidance of suffering. Sometimes it must be embraced.
God meets us wherever we are, whether it’s in a garden above Jerusalem or in a job we feel is squelching our souls. He comes alongside to help us bear those crosses: “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest… you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-30, NIV) After all, Jesus is all about saving souls.
As for me, I try to think of my job as a proving ground where I’m being tested and stretched. That makes me feel a bit more at peace. And I have other activities that feed my soul and feel closer to being my life’s work. Those are the things that make me jump out of bed and embrace the day.
Thought for the day: What cross are you bearing? How is God helping you to bear it?
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.