Jesus told His disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” This message directly opposes the world’s teaching. The world teaches us to do what we want and focus on making ourselves happy. Living this way may make us happy in this life, but it will be difficult to find eternal joy.
We are accustomed to doing whatever it takes to please ourselves. We work hard to get a lot of money and then we spend it on ourselves. I enjoy buying nice things and doing fun activities, but I also get a lot of joy giving to others in need. Identity a few organizations that are important to you and help them out by donating your money or time to them. We should also desire to see the church that we attend thrive and we can do that by generously tithing. When you see someone in need, don’t hesitate to help them. I find it easy to set a certain amount of money aside each month to give to the homeless or needy that I encounter in my travels. If you mentally set aside that money, it’s easier to give it away. Setting it aside also changes your perception of the person asking for help. I used to think of beggars as trying to take my money, but now that I have already set that money aside for them, I think of it as their money.
It’s hard to get through life without encountering a cross or burden to bear. How do we react when times get tough? Do we complain, get angry, and try to get rid of the burden or do we have a good attitude and embrace it? No one likes having a burden, but we should try to use bad experiences to grow spiritually. Jesus could have run away from the cross or stopped those who were arresting Him, but he chose to embrace His destiny and now the gates of Heaven are open to everyone.
Jesus also asks us to follow Him. He showed us how to be selfless, humble, and love our neighbor. Jesus gave us a path to get to Heaven and if we want to give ourselves the best chance to get there, we need to follow in His footsteps. The path has already been laid, we just have to follow it.
Even Peter didn’t understand when Jesus said He had to suffer and die. It’s hard to understand everything that Jesus teaches, but it’s important to have faith in Him and follow His example. We need to work on changing our thought process to think more like God. It’s neat to see a couple who has been married for a while. They finish each other’s sentences and even have similar mannerisms. We should strive to have a similar relationship with Jesus. He is the bridegroom and we are His bride. Any good marriage needs to have trust to grow. When we constantly work on improving our relationship with Jesus, we will begin to better understand the true meaning of life and how find eternal happiness.
