“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.” -Luke 9:23-24-
So many times I catch myself thinking, ‘When I’m done with the Race I’m going to do this or that.’ ‘When I get married…’ ‘When I have kids…’ Today I am going to…’
I fail miserably when it comes to putting my selfish ambitions aside, and following whole- heartedly after Christ. This is what I long for. I want to be able to wake up every morning thanking God for allowing me to take a breath, and then set myself aside and ask Him with a genuine heart, ‘what do you want me to do today?’ I long to be in tune with His spirit. I want to shoulder my cross everyday, and follow Him.
Since I have been on the Race I have met so many people that proclaim this type of life example. It’s been amazing to see people that are in the poorest of living conditions be so in tune with the Lord. They trust Him so much, and they have to trust Him with everything, because they have nothing. It’s not about Earthly possessions; it’s about furthering the Kingdom. Today my friend invited me to come to her house for lunch. It’s funny how my mind went directly to expecting that there would be a kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom. When I arrived, I went down a walk way lined with tiny rooms where whole families would live. We arrived at her door, and like the others it was a very small room. In this room there was a small portable gas stove sitting on the floor in one corner, a couple of small plastic shelves for her belongings against one wall, and a very small bathroom. No running water, no bed, no living room, no furniture, no closet, and no pictures on the wall, nothing that in my mind resembled a home. But this was her home that she shared with one of her friends. I asked her if she enjoyed living there, and she said, “Yes, because no one around us is Christian so we are able to be examples for them.” She never once said anything negative about her actual living condition. She said, “We sleep here”, and pointed to the floor, with a smile on her face. Maybe it’s because this kind of living is all she has known her whole life, but I think it’s more than that. I think that she is truly thankful for what she has, and gives God all the glory. She told me, “My older brother died one year ago, but it’s ok because I praise the Lord.” Her roommate says the same thing, “My sister died four years ago,
but its ok, because I praise the Lord. She was not a Christian, but its ok, because all the glory goes to God.” WOW! What an example of faith and picking up your cross daily. These girls are a prime example for this scripture. On the outside they seem to have everything going against them yet they are obedient in giving up their lives and following Christ no matter what it means. I believe they know the true meaning of giving up their lives for Christ.
