Embracing Trial

"Then Jesus told His disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.' "
(Matthew 16:24)
Image courtesy of www.ramdass.org
"Christ, you know it ain't easy
You know how hard it can be
The way things are going
They're going to crucify me."

So goes the chorus of the John Lennon classic, "The Ballad of John and Yoko."

And it's a lyric that -- even in its overstatement -- resonates at some point with just about any leader worth her salt.  Because there will come that time when a leader needs to have the courage of her convictions -- that moment of undeniable clarity when she knows she must do what she does not want to do. For doing what is needed will likely incur great personal cost -- perhaps even all that she has.

Understandably, such a moment can be extremely taxing and visible and lonely. But it can also be a time of sublime grace, as we perhaps connect with Our Savior and His cross for the first time in any visceral way. As we come to understand -- maybe for the first time -- what it really means to "have our cross to bear."

At times such as these, we are wise to follow the age-old counsel to "take up your cross and follow Christ." And in particular, to follow Christ's story and follow Christ's example of how He bore His cross in order to gain guidance and support in the bearing of our own trials.

For example, when we follow Christ's story, we quickly find many areas of likely resonance for our own:
1) That leaders and motives get misunderstood
2) That ignorance prevails more times than it should
3) That our biggest trials can be neither just nor fair
4) That we need to take on more than we think we can bear
5) That betrayal of a good friend perhaps hurts the most

Yes, even amidst our greatest trials, by following Christ's story, we can take great comfort in knowing that we have a God who has been there, who does understand how it feels, so that we are never alone. Truth be told, we probably are never more understood, more supported, or more "carried" than in times of our greatest trial. And therein lies the grace.

But perhaps our biggest takeaway from Christ's example is that it was never really about the suffering or about the injustice or about the misundertandings anyway. Those are all just part of the human experience on this planet.

To be sure, when we follow Christ's example amidst trial,...
1) We are strengthened to take on whatever we face
2) Through faith in our Lord, our cross embrace
3) Knowing that trials are a portion of the pilgrim's trail
4) That in the ultimate triumph, God will not fail
5) That -- above all -- love and mercy prevail!
______________________

Dear Lord, 
Creator of all there is, help me to be thankful for all that you provide, even those events and people that seemingly represent my greatest trials. Help me to follow Your example and embrace my cross, therein being an instrument of Your peace, an embodiment of Your faithfulness, and an agent of Your love and mercy for a world in desparate need.
In Your Almighty Name, I pray.
Amen.