Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple (v.27).

It is a phrase we are all well familiar with and so often it is taken to mean that when we are beset by problems, plagued by troubles, and at the point of being burdened beyond hope. That we should remember what Christ has done for us on his Cross and be renewed in the love of God to persevere and to turn over our sufferings to Jesus, joining our sufferings with his.  The verse does have that meaning and application in our lives, but that meaning does not exhaust the treasures that lie within God’s word.  

The gospels of this summer have been lessons on how we are to be disciples in the everyday of our lives.  But how do we think about carrying our cross in everyday life? To carry one’s cross is to have discerned our mission as part of God’s plan – in the everyday, when things are OK, lots of SSDD – you know, same stuff, different day.  But unless we are attentive to God’s plan , there are several pitfalls and bumps along the way.  One of the pitfalls is to craft for ourselves a more comfortable cross.