CARRY MY CROSS

Good Friday this year afforded me the opportunity to participate in something that I have never done before…

 

….A “Witness Walk.”

 

This Witness Walk involved the participants walking in procession behind a big, heavy, 40 lb wooden cross, carried by two people at a time, through the streets of a neighboring town, past houses and several businesses, commemorating Jesus’ Passion as He journeyed from Jerusalem to Calvary. 

 

Photo courtesy of Eric Parker under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC 2.0)

 

It was probably the first time I was actually physically out on the streets proclaiming my faith; publicly displaying my love for the Lord so at first it was a little intimidating but I soon just concentrated on Jesus.

 

At different intervals through the mile walk, we would pause, stand the cross up, listen to a reflection on a particular event of Jesus’ journey, pray and sing. The reflection would remind us of what Jesus went through at the time and tie it in with a current day equivalent. A nice touch was having different people, randomly selected to take the megaphone and read the reflection.

 

The most unique part of this experience for me was being asked to help carry the big wooden cross, not once, but actually three times! 

 

The first time I was at the back of the cross helping to carry it. As I was doing that, I thought how special it would be to be carrying the cross in the front, on my shoulders like I envision Jesus did.

 

God worked that right out as the leader asked again a few stops later! It was a humbling experience to be at the front of the cross carrying it on my shoulders.

 

It was meaningful to experience even more intensely physically what Jesus went through as He was carrying the cross on the way to Calvary,

 

for MY sins,

 

for MY salvation,

 

for ME to live in eternity with God and Him.

 

 

Jesus walked that lonely, hard road to Calvary where He faced death, death on that cross, 

 

for ME….

 

and YOU!

 

The Witness Walk cross

 

It was a great way to reflect on what Jesus endured and sacrificed physically for me and that is without even considering all the beatings He withstood as well as being nailed to the cross!

 

I will say the time I was helping carrying the cross seemed like a long time, like the next stop would not come soon enough, though I know in reality it wasn’t even five minutes at a time.

 

 

This Witness Walk was a good reminder of:

 

–What Jesus went through for me…

 

–How Jesus’ life was about dying for other people a little each day…

 

–Ways I can die to self

 

–How I can carry the cross for Jesus

 

–How I can be sensitive to the needs of others

 

–As I walk with Jesus every day, I also walk with all those whose life intersects mine

 

–To help the poor, the needy, the person that is all alone.

 

 

Being asked to Carry the Cross, to walk in Jesus’ footsteps, was quite the honor. It reminded me of Simon, who back in Jesus’ day, helped carry Jesus’ Cross.

 

Photo courtesy of Leonard J Matthews under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0); words added by hopetoinspireyou.com

 

 

How often are we asked to Carry the Cross for a friend?

 

How often do we, instead of being asked, see a need and walk alongside a friend or stranger to help Carry their Cross?

 

 

What ways can you challenge yourself this week to help Carry the Cross for the people you encounter?

 

It might just be something as simple as sending a card to someone struggling to let them know you are praying for them….

 

Maybe a simple text to someone letting them know you will be keeping them in thought and prayer as they go through their training session.

 

Can someone say of you, just like we can say of Jesus…..

“Yes, I know I can always count on you to help Carry My Cross…Thank you!”

 

 

 

A passerby named Simon, who was from Cyrene, was coming in from the countryside just then, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. (Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus.)  –Mark 15:21 (NLT)

 

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  –Galatians 6:2 (NIV)

 

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  –Matthew 16:24 (NIV)