The weight of the cross
Carrying the cross of Christ in not easy. People in ministry who obey the mandate of carrying the cross often come to a point where the weight of the cross becomes to great to bear. We feel like throwing in the towel and calling it quits on the ministry God has called us for. Distractions, doubts, feeling of being unaccomplished suddenly seem too overwhelming. The sight of other people “doing things right” begins to discourage rather than encourage, and we succumb to the lie that we are not cut out for this ballgame. Such feelings drew my attention to Jesus who carried his cross to Golgotha. The gospels of Matthew, Mark and John mention the cross being carried by Simon of Cyrene from a certain point. The movie, Passion of the Christ dramatically depicts Jesus stumbling under the weight of the cross along the Via Dolorosa. Even though the Bible never mentions Jesus stumbling, my thought started racing. Did Jesus really stumble three times? Why was someone else commanded to carry the cross? Was my Master ever unable to carry His own cross? I wrestle with my spirit to understand why my God Himself couldn’t carry His cross all the way to Golgotha but then, to my burning question I sense the Holy Spirit whispering, “Because He can. It’s not that He couldn’t carry the cross all the way, He didn’t have to.”
Pow! It makes sense now! We don’t have to either! You see, everything Jesus did on this earth was reflective of how His children should act and react. Interpretively speaking it means Jesus was trying to say, “This is my cross, my ministry. I will carry it to the end. However, there may be times when I feel like I need to stop; times when I feel like I need to put down the cross. In those times, I will find someone to hold the cross for me. I am not running this race alone. You can do the same.”
So regardless of where in life you find yourself at, realize this: At times, the cross might seem to heavy to bear. The pressures of ministry might be weighing in. Don’t give up. Don’t believe the lie that you’re in this alone. Jesus allowed Simon to carry His cross so he could carry yours. It is perfectly okay to be vulnerable and ask God for help. If you find the cross of Christ too heavy to bear, ask God to intervene. He will. He always does. With the cross comes great reward.
I Peter 5:7- Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you.
