“Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”  Luke 14:27

It’s good time to ask again, what does it mean to carry our own cross?

Some of us are short tempered. Some worry about everything, and all the time. Some are scrupulous. Some talk way too much and some don’t talk at all. Some are afraid of meeting others. Some swear. Some have difficulties with chastity, pornography, adultery. Some with drugs or internet.  And so on…

In the middle of this mess comes Jesus… with his invitation to follow him. Now!

 As bad as we are; as weak as we are; as sinful as we are, we have basically two options:

• We can give up, and allow our weakness have control over us.

          Or,

• We can fight, struggle, try to overcome our sin and live the best life we can, even if it appears that nothing changes.

We can take on this battle and fight it with Jesus’ help.

This likewise can be applied to homosexual tendencies. Today’s modern world wants us believe that being homosexual is no better and no worse than being heterosexual. Well, that is right. You don’t choose to be homosexual or not. But you can choose what to do with it.

I look at it as a cross. I can give in to those desires, those fears and anxieties and follow them. Or… I can look on them as a disease, illness, weakness.

It is difficult in these times when sex and pleasure have become our idols. When it is cool to have sex as often as you can and with whomever you want.

It is cool to be proud of my own sexual orientation and proudly display it to others.

What is not cool?  Chastity. Waiting to have sex until you are married. Seeing sex as a part of bigger picture, not as pleasure only.

The freedom to make up your own mind about anything is cool too! You can be your own God. Nobody has right to tell you what is good or bad for you. You decide for you.  If you feel something is good, you can do it as much as you want if it doesn’t hurt others.

So then, what about Jesus words:  “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.”

No, those words don’t sound cool, they sound rough and tough.

But the cross is only part of the picture. Without the cross there is no resurrection, there is no descending of the Holy Spirit.

Without the cross, there is no life.