Journey to the Cross
Open your heart to what I am about to say next. My story is your story too. Whether you’re standing in your teenager’s bed- room, sitting with your computer on your lap, plodding through work, or rushing through the grocery store, sin creeps up on you and seizes you. Before you know it, you’re in its hold. Later you look back with regret. You tell yourself that you’ll do better next time, only to get kidnapped again a little further down the road. This is the sadly repeating drama of all of us living between the “already” and the “not yet.” This is why it is important to dedicate a season of every year to sit under the shadow of the cross of Jesus Christ once again. Under the shadow of the cross, sin doesn’t surprise us anymore, doesn’t depress us anymore, and doesn’t move us to deny or de- fend. Under the shadow of the cross, we remember who we are and what it is that we are dealing with. Under the shadow of the cross, we are required to admit that the greatest enemy we face is not difficulty or maltreatment from without, but the enemy of sin within. Under the shadow of the cross, we quit pointing fingers and begin crying out for help. Under the shadow of the cross, we are reminded that we are not in this battle alone; in fact, there we admit that we have no power whatsoever to battle on our own. Under the shadow of the cross we get our sanity back, admitting who we are and what it is that we so desperately need. The shadow of the cross is a place of peace and protection that can be found nowhere else. Let the shadow of the cross be your teacher. 1. The shadow of the cross teaches us who we are. We all need to stop again and again and let the cross remind us of who we are, and in reminding us, to humble us anew. We do tend to think
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