|
Listen:
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.’”
— MATTHEW 1 6 :24 (NLT)
Reflect:
If you’ve ever been around a toddler, you know they love to say, “I can do it myself.” (Or, more likely, “NO!” or “I do.” Vocabulary will come.) When Jesus invites us to follow him, he is saying, “Watch and learn. Do as I do.” But sometimes I still want to say, “No thanks!” or “Actually, I can think of a better way.” And honestly, sometimes we are not sure if Jesus really had it all right (can I say that out loud?). When faced with tougher choices, it’s tempting to think, “Not today. Maybe later.”
But here’s the thing about life: it almost always asks more of us than feels comfortable. It asks us to love that person we’d rather not. To listen longer than we’d like. To advocate for those on the margins. It means forgiving again, and then wondering, “Seriously, is there a punch card for this?” When we see people living like this—with joy, generosity, and stubborn kindness— it makes us want to lean in, not pull back. Because even though it’s harder, that path is the one that makes me feel most alive. It’s messy and humbling, but so worth it.
Blessing:
Blessed are you who feel so stuck
all you can see is the mud caking around your feet.
Let grace go first.
Let it carve a path, however small,
and show that even the tiniest efforts can multiply in love.
Move forward anyway.
Move toward places where you see compassion,
kindness, love, joy, and belonging.
And join in.
We’ve seen the sun rise over an empty tomb
and life spring up from dust, so, all things considered,
Maybe we could finally believe that something good
could come from this day, this life,
these weary limbs of yours.
Blessed are you, learning to follow where grace leads,
stumbling forward, uncertain, but held, and known.
| 
