It's not really about carrying your cross

This past weekend I preached on Matthew 16:21-28. Part of the passage is a point where Jesus is walking with his disciples (unusual, I know) and they just aren't quite getting it (even more unusual, I know). I'm sure most of us remember Jesus' words in the passage, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (16:24)

As I preached on this part of the text this past weekend, I remembered watching a series on A&E called "God or the Girl" The series tracked 4 guys who were discerning a call to the Catholic Priesthood (ultimately coming down to the question "do they feel called to the Priesthood or Marriage?").

I recall one of the guys, as part of his discernment, went to the lumber yard and bought some landscape timbers in order to build a cross (weighing about 100-pounds if I remember right) and then he would carry it a distance (maybe 20-ish miles).

As I thought about this act, I was struck by a few things that I think we can all learn from and I think are ultimately the point that Jesus is calling us to in carrying our own cross.

1. He didn't just head out, buy wood, build a cross and start walking. He planned ahead. He had a vision for what he wanted to accomplish through this act.

2. He didn't head out alone, he had a support group walking with him. While he carried the cross for the lion's share of the journey, he did have others walking with him ... reading scripture to encourage him, giving him water to meet his needs, helping him when he couldn't carry the cross alone.

3. He was open to what he would experience along the way. Even though he had planned things out, he was open to those things that he couldn't plan for.

In our own lives what are the crosses that we have to carry?

Where is God calling us to plan ahead and cast a vision in our lives?

Who are the people walking with us in our journey? Are they encouraging us? Are they willing to push us those last few miles when we don't think we can do it? Will they carry our burdens with us?

Are we open to what we experience along the way or do we simply "stick to the plan" no matter what? What is God teaching us when we least expect it?