Giving it up
27You cannot be my disciple unless you carry your own cross and come with me.
28Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. What is the first thing you will do? Won’t you sit down and figure out how much it will cost and if you have enough money to pay for it? 29Otherwise, you will start building the tower, but not be able to finish. Then everyone who sees what is happening will laugh at you. 30They will say, “You started building, but could not finish the job.”
31What will a king do if he has only ten thousand soldiers to defend himself against a king who is about to attack him with twenty thousand soldiers? Before he goes out to battle, won’t he first sit down and decide if he can win? 32If he thinks he won’t be able to defend himself, he will send messengers and ask for peace while the other king is still a long way off. 33So then, you cannot be my disciple unless you give away everything you own.
Do you ever start tasks and never finish them? One of our son’s newly decorated nursery waited 3 years for the last piece of wallpaper to go over the doorway. We sorted it out the next time we decorated in there!
How is this Lent journey going? Is it getting tough? Have you missed some bits out? Taken some short cuts? Or you getting tired, distracted, or dare I even say it bored?
Are you going to finish the course?
Being a disciple of Jesus is about being in it for the long haul. It’s not just about giving something up for Lent, or taking something on; it’s not starting off keenly, it’s going all the way; it’s not being willing to make small adjustments, it’s giving your all. It’s about carrying your cross. Doing the thing that is asked of you.
The focus of the Christian journey is on God – follow him. When you’re on a rough sea crossing, the advice is to look at the horizon and keep your eyes focussed on that. Jesus words are not, take up your cross – and your on your own mate; but take up your cross and follow me. Put your footsteps in mine.
Giving things up for God is tough. But God knows that. Giving up is necessary to be able to make the journey. We would not make it weighed down.
If you are losing heart, finding the going tough, or wondering if you’ve bitten off more than you can chew, if you feel your resources are not enough – take heart – God hears your cry for help, and for those who come they can journey with him. We might have a cross to carry – but Jesus has carried one too. Whatever we have given up will be replaced by something way more valuable in the lessons we learn and the love we receive along the way.
Via Dolorosa - The Way of Suffering
‘Take up your cross’
That’s what you did for me Lord.
So however tough the journey.
we are doing it with you.
As we journey onwards
and come to new realisations,
give us the courage and the strength we need
to give away,
take up
and follow you
Pam's Perambulation 