When we visualize the cross, we far too often see it as simply a piece of jewelry to adorn our necks. We put it on in the morning because it dresses up our outfit, but then we forget what that emblem means, or that we're even wearing it. The cross was never meant to be a dainty ornament. The TV ads selling 24k gold crosses or crosses made of all crystals really make me angry, and I refuse to buy in to that. They make Jesus' sacrifice seem so intangible to anyone outside of the upper tier of wealth and it takes away from the struggle of it all. Yes, what happened on the cross was the most beautiful gift man could ever receive, but the process itself was the dirtiest. We focus on the aftermath, we focus on the happy ending that we wish to partake in. Yet, I'm finding that by merely focusing on that happy ending, we take for granted the road leading up to it and we forget about the fight that we are still in. We forget there is work to be done here, in our time on earth.
I want to visualize the cross more as the bloody mess that it was. In doing so, I believe I will be able to understand God's love for me that much more and it will cause me to live my life a great deal different than visualizing it as a piece of clean silver. I need to remember the struggle Jesus had in carrying the cross, to think of how heavy it must have been on his shoulders so that I may fully appreciate him carrying my sins. I need to remember the mockery he faced and the strength he had to endure it, never backing down or denying his identity. May that be the strength to encourage me in my walk. I pray I remember the pain of being brutally beaten and then nailed to the cross. But Jesus carried on because his love was so great, and he knew that that pain was only temporary and how shortly, he would be building the kingdom for his believers to join him in.
The gift of salvation was not acquired easily, so may I not forget the journey. May I not be content to just wearing a cross around my neck, where I can so easily forget about its existence. Instead, may I keep the image of the bloody cross in front of me. To keep the sacrifice forever fresh in my mind so that my actions would echo what I choose to believe. Realizing the brutality of it all makes Jesus' love that much sweeter to me, and it becomes so much more than a Sunday morning thought. It takes over the meaning of my existence and my mission in this world.
"Keep the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your life." Galatians 3:1 MSG
