There is a difference in claiming belief in the cross of Christ and following Christ. If you follow him he will inevitably bring you back to Calvary to another cross. It is not “the cross” but it is indeed a cross. This cross is not only a rite of passage for the Christian but a marking on the life of that follower.
It is where, as followers of Jesus, we must die. This is the narrow passage as opposed to the wide way which leads to death. It’s narrow in that it makes a fan into a friend, and friends into family.
My friend Gabe Perez says that Jesus asks the student of the Bible, “Will you carry the cross as fervently as you study it?”
Jesus asks the politician “Will you choose the cross over the bribes in the lobby?”
This cross is the easy yoke and the lighter burden. Jesus will walk with you to Galgotha and even share the load for it has a light and heavy end. But the death he died he dies no more. This cross is yours my friend.
Tim Holman, Writer 