“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk. 9:23).

The story is told of a play that drew crowds of Easter tourists. They all came to see the passion play depicting the cross of Calvary, and, O, what a moving drama it was, that enthralled its audience! At the conclusion of the play, an American businessman hurried backstage to meet the lead actor who had played the role of Christ. Snap, snap, snap, his camera shot with excited readiness and flashes of brilliant lights that blinded the actor. Looking for some more memorable scenes to shoot, he found the cross the man carried up the hill to Calvary in the play. With unrehearsed abruptness, he handed his camera to his wife and told her to snap his picture when he carried the cross up on his shoulder. “Won’t that be a novel and exciting picture to send to our friends in America?”

            Seeing the severe frown on the face of the actor who carried the cross in the play, our American friend asked Mr. Lang, “You don’t mind, do you?” But before Mr. Lang could answer him, he had hurried to the cross and stooped down to lift it to his shoulder. But he was in for the rudest surprise of his life. He could not budge it one inch off the floor, for the cross was made of heavy iron oak beams.

            Puffing with amazement, our American friend turned to Mr. Lang and said, “Why, I thought it to be light. I thought the cross was hollow. Why do you carry a cross that is so terribly heavy?” Calmly straightening himself with compelling dignity, Mr. Lang responded with a gentle rebuke in his voice, “Sir, if I did not feel the weight of His cross, I could not play His part.”

            The story rings so true when I consider the way we take our salvation. We, like our American tourist friend, think that the cross of Calvary is a piece of photo opportunity for our friends and family to see how spiffy we look as Christians. Many of us do not have the least idea of how heavy the cross was to the One who bore it up the hill of Calvary. We forget the weight of our sins that was put on him on the cross, the sight of which caused the Father to, for the first time, turn away from His beloved Son. Yes, it was heavy to carry, and it was heavy when he hung on it, but we too have our crosses to carry if, indeed, we are His disciples. “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk. 9:23). It’s not light, folks. It comes with a cost that is heavy to bear. But, He who has called us to take our cross daily is ready to carry it with you, if only you will let Him.

            So, you may be suffering under the weight of your cross, whatever it may be – in your marriage, with your children, on your job, in your business transactions, with your friends and family – and you may be ready to say with Elijah, “I have had enough, Lord” (1Kings 19:4). Don’t give up. Don’t throw in the towel. Jesus knows where you stand and the weight of the cross you bear. He will send His angel to strengthen you, as He did with Elijah, that you can run the race of your Christian life to the Mountain of God (5-9).

It is well!