The Message
Most motivational speeches don't lead with "Don't run from suffering, embrace it." But Jesus wasn't trying to be a motivational speaker -- he was trying to get the apostles, and us, to fundamentally shift our perspective. Jesus is trying to help us see the growth of our relationship with God as the single most important thing in the world, and anything that opposes the growth of the soul needs to be rooted out. This is hard work, unglamorous work, and much of the world will call us foolish for pursuing it.
But's it's the most important work we can do in our lives, to receive the grace of Christ and allow it to transform us from the inside out, causing us to examine everything in our lives and remove the obstacles to growth in Christ.
Take some time to see where the obstacles are in your life. What are the routines or habits that you don't even notice anymore? What needs to change? How can you sacrifice? There are plenty of small places for us to start. Let's choose to do the hard work of discipleship, and embrace whatever suffering comes our way, knowing that in Christ, our goals are not limited by this world but are wrapped up in the eternal Kingdom of God.
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