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Take up thy cross and follow me.More than we'll ever know. Mark 14:32-36 They went to the place called Gethsamne and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I pray." He took Peter, James and John with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow, to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch." Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. "Abba, Father." He said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me, yet not what I will, but what you will." NIV
What if Jesus would have said, "Father God, I know we planned this ever since the fall of man, but I just can't gp through with it. I'm truly sorry Father, but this cross is too much to bear."
I believe Father God would have answered, "The decision is yours my Son." Scripture says that Jesus picked up that cross and bore it to the very end. He guaranteed us salvation from our sins and gave us eternal life. Jesus knew it was his Father's will.
Why does Jesus say this to his followers? He was the one to bare the cross, so what does this have to do with us? As we study the scriptures we learn all meaning in life is brought about by carrying our crosses and learning to do it well.
2nd Timothy 2:1 "You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."
2nd Timothy 2:3 "Endure hardship like a good soldier of Christ Jesus."
But where is the battle, and with whom are we fighting? The battlefield is life and the temptations of Satan. They come to us just as they did to Adam and Eve. Sometimes they come out of the blue and we wonder, why me Lord?
One of my greatest crosses came to me with the birth of a baby girl we named Collette (Victorious One.) This precious beautiful child was not entirely ours, but on loan from God. Some day she would return to him.
Collette was a happy baby, we called her "dream boat." Little did we know from the day she was born, she was under a death sentence, from a catastrophic disease called nephrosis. The kidneys became like sieves rather than sponges and were washing out her body with urine. In a very few years she'd have no kidney function and would drown in her own fluids. Collette was diagnosed at two years of age, and would not live past four. There were no dialysis or transplant program, those would come in the future.
When Collette was born a nurse laid her in my arms. That was one of the happiest and fulfilling moments of my life. When we became aware of her impending death, the sorrow was devastating. I began having nightmares of her tiny body being placed in a deep hole, as dirt was being thrown onto her beautiful face. I awoke screaming, "God, you've got to do something. No one else can."
Shock and depression filled my waking hours. My mind would whirl with the question of why. In my despair I turned to God. I began to have an inkling of what God must have felt when his only begotten son Jesus suffered death on the cross. Somehow the thought comforted me. I knew God understood my pain. Robert, my husband, and I decided we'd try not to spoil Collette, even though she was so ill.
We wanted her to return to God, as the tiny angel he had entrusted us with.
When you can't trace God, trust him. It is a saying that became dear to my heart. I leaned upon the Lord more each day and began to realize my personal and spiritual growth was surpassing anything I'd ever known. Praise the Lord. Through the years I'd often stand by my dying child as her life began to ebb, only to be brought back to the living by almighty God. She is now forty-four. Collette fought many battles and has become a great warrior for the Lord.