Below is a daily devotional that is emailed to be every day. Today it tapped into something I have never thought of before. I have felt so much anger and resentment over the last year and a half that Joshy has not lived here with me. Yes, his stuff is here. But he's not Monday through Thursday. There were many justifications for his staying with his company and traveling, which I will go into another time.
The positives of this situation have become more apparent to me over time though. Before this living situation, I did not like to be alone. I did not know what to do with myself. Since I have been living without Joshy though, I have found myself. I have found many hobbies that I really enjoy. I actually like myself. I like who I am and who I aspire to be. Ofcourse there are many areas I would like to improve on (being more spiritual, working out more often, being consistent and stable in my life). But generally, I like myself. That is not something I could have said a few years ago. So perhaps this was my cross to bear. And this cross was built for me. it did help straighten the areas of myself and my spirit that needed to be straightened. Feel free to take a look at the devotional below.
Listening to: Blessed by Brett Dennen. I love his upbeat music!
Picture from Peggy Gardner.
Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Genesis 11:1-9
Psalm 33:10-11, 12-13, 14-15
Mark 8:34-9:1
A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:
Take Up His Cross. . . .
This is a powerful passage that tells us about how Jesus expects us to behave. We are to take up our cross. Not our neighbor's cross, not the cross three houses down on the left, not a leftover cross. Our own cross.
Why is this so important? We need to understand that our own crosses are made for us. They are orthopedic. They are meant to straighten out the crooked places and bend the places that should not be straight. They are designed to help us conform to the person we will be at the resurrection. As such, they are medical devices for the spirit. Just as we would not trade glasses for anything other than an experiment, so it will not avail us to wish for the cross someone else bears.
What we need to understand is that no matter how light, how easy, how relatively small the cross of another, it is designed for that person. It hurts just as much when we want to conform to the world and do as everyone around us does. It is painful in a way that is meant not merely to hurt, but to change us for the better. Think braces on teeth - they hurt while they are on, but when they come off, our teeth are better able to perform their function.
So are our crosses while we live. They are designed to make us straighter, truer, stronger. They hurt day by day, but they help the seed of the world to come grow within us.
Do each day, take up that day's cross and be thankful that the Lord cares enough to help us grow as we need to in order to help those around us.
~ JuandelaCruz | email: sriddle415(at)yahoo(dot)com
The positives of this situation have become more apparent to me over time though. Before this living situation, I did not like to be alone. I did not know what to do with myself. Since I have been living without Joshy though, I have found myself. I have found many hobbies that I really enjoy. I actually like myself. I like who I am and who I aspire to be. Ofcourse there are many areas I would like to improve on (being more spiritual, working out more often, being consistent and stable in my life). But generally, I like myself. That is not something I could have said a few years ago. So perhaps this was my cross to bear. And this cross was built for me. it did help straighten the areas of myself and my spirit that needed to be straightened. Feel free to take a look at the devotional below.
Listening to: Blessed by Brett Dennen. I love his upbeat music!
Picture from Peggy Gardner.
Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Genesis 11:1-9
Psalm 33:10-11, 12-13, 14-15
Mark 8:34-9:1
A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:
Take Up His Cross. . . .
This is a powerful passage that tells us about how Jesus expects us to behave. We are to take up our cross. Not our neighbor's cross, not the cross three houses down on the left, not a leftover cross. Our own cross.
Why is this so important? We need to understand that our own crosses are made for us. They are orthopedic. They are meant to straighten out the crooked places and bend the places that should not be straight. They are designed to help us conform to the person we will be at the resurrection. As such, they are medical devices for the spirit. Just as we would not trade glasses for anything other than an experiment, so it will not avail us to wish for the cross someone else bears.
What we need to understand is that no matter how light, how easy, how relatively small the cross of another, it is designed for that person. It hurts just as much when we want to conform to the world and do as everyone around us does. It is painful in a way that is meant not merely to hurt, but to change us for the better. Think braces on teeth - they hurt while they are on, but when they come off, our teeth are better able to perform their function.
So are our crosses while we live. They are designed to make us straighter, truer, stronger. They hurt day by day, but they help the seed of the world to come grow within us.
Do each day, take up that day's cross and be thankful that the Lord cares enough to help us grow as we need to in order to help those around us.
~ JuandelaCruz | email: sriddle415(at)yahoo(dot)com
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