Think: Jesus said to his disciples, “If you want to belong to me, you must love me more than anyone. You must be willing to carry your cross and follow me. If you are willing to give your life because you believe in me, you will live forever.”

Challenge: People refer to crosses to bear when they have to do something difficult or go through something painful, like Jesus did when he carried his cross. We don’t carry the same wooden cross or suffer the same torment that Jesus did, but we have our own difficulties and challenges in life and we are called to face these challenges bravely. Everyone bears different
crosses, because we are all living different lives. And while we can’t always see the crosses that others are bearing, we can be kind to everyone, knowing that they have their own troubles. We can also help one another with our crosses, not because we want something in return for our help, but because as Christians we are called to help others out of love. As you go about your week, keep your eyes and hearts open to ways that you can help others with their crosses.