Day 3 Take up your cross

I like the analogy of the solider who is in training to become a disciplined solider to fulfill the mission he signed on for. The solider belongs to "Uncle Sam" 24/7. He trains physically and emotionally to be ready at the moment he is called into the battlefield. I remember the time when I was in boot-camp and thought that the things the company commander was having us do was silly and meaningless. One time I was yelled at because I left my wash cloth out. At the end of our training it became clear why they were so harsh. When you are out on the ship in the middle of the ocean everything matters for you and your ship mates survival. I remember wearing my uniform with pride as I flew back home and people would look at me and I could sense a respect that they had because I was protecting our country. When we enlist into the "army of God", we sign on for 24/7 and we too should be proud to wear our "uniform". This is not a Christian t-shirt,a necklace or even a bracelet. It is our cross that we willingly take up each and everyday and follow Him. Are we willing to truly die for Him? It is easy to say yes because that is what we should say. To willingly die for Him is not just to give up lives, it is to give all we have to Him and follow His will. Just like a military person we have a mission to complete, it's called the great commission. To tell the world about Jesus and to proudly wear the "uniform" of our faith. Our testimony

Jan 07, 2010

Jean Taylor said...
Day 3 - Take up your cross

I love the quote by Mother Teresa: "A sacrifice to be real must cost, must hurt, must empty ourselves." How true is that?!

Merriam-Webster says this:
Main Entry: 2sacrifice
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): sacrificed; sacrific·ing
Date: 14th century
transitive verb 1 : to offer as a sacrifice
2 : to suffer loss of, give up, renounce, injure, or destroy especially for an ideal, belief, or end
3 : to sell at a loss
4 : to advance (a base runner) by means of a sacrifice hit
5 : to kill (an animal) as part of a scientific experiment
For years, I have attempted to reprogram my husband's childhood mindset "What happens in the home, stays in the home." This is a very unhealthy midset! Think of all the newspaper articles/stories that you have seen/heard discussing the horrendous forms of abuse that children have suffered inside the home!

The best mentality to keep is that you should live your life in a way that anybody, at any time, should be able to know what you are doing, because it should always be honorable and upright. The only exception is when you are planning a pleasant surprise for someone you love, then a temporary secret is okay! We are called to live a life that reflects God... not just some of the time, but all of the time!!

When our children were younger, they would occasionally go to school and share events that happened in our home - I'm sure it's happened to you too! Sometime those events were slightly embarrassing, but never were they destructive to who I am, because I am, who I am, who I am!!

Being "who I am" has sometimes invited criticism from my family, and occasionally from some "friends" or co-workers. More times than not, the consistency of who I am has eventually won out over the criticism - and a couple of times some of the criticizers have returned to me for godly advise or asked me to pray for their situations. At least twice, my criticizers have turned their lives over to Christ.

The challenge is to CONTINUE being faithful - every minute, every hour, every day, every week, every year! Lord, help me (help us all) to NOT grow weary in well doing! NJ