"And he said to all: If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross every day, and follow me" (Luke 9:23).
The first, to deny himself, the second to carry our cross every day. But what does each of them mean?
As for denying ourselves, the question arises: Why did Jesus invite us to deny ourselves? By nature we are imperfect, we make mistakes, we are exposed and we can fall into temptation. Denying ourselves, implies, not living according to that logic, not being dragged by the currents of the world, but living now as a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), as exemplary children of God, struggling every day to transform us and move away of that old person, full of vices.
On taking our cross, Jesus, spoke to us in metaphor of that same internal struggle that we wage to become what God expects from us. It is a daily battle that due to its hardness, its complexity, implies perseverance, perseverance, faith and attachment to the word of the Lord. It is, therefore, the daily burden of a cross, which can be overcome in the measure that in our work and in our actions we reflect the goodness that God has cultivated in our hearts.
Remember to build a life that really pleases God, move away from that which separates you from Him, feed on His Word, seek it in prayer, serve it and make it the center of your life. Winning that battle between what we were and what we want to be to please God will not be easy, but we have a beautiful promise for it: There will be no burden so heavy that we can not carry the Lord's hand.
