There Is Hope In Rough Mornings!

  "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." - Luke 9:22-25

    The Gospel today speaks to me after I wrote an entire blog about how my mind was having trouble focusing on what the Gospel had to say to me today. I share that with you, to show you that it is not always easy for me to hear God as well. I am human and I struggle with things in my life. I struggle with the crosses of my every day life just like all of you do. Living this life of taking the crosses of our lives head on and walking through the day with them is difficult, and really I hate it on most days, but that doesn't mean that it is not exactly what I need. So let's take a look at my cross for today:

    I wake up and I make breakfast and everything and then I come to sit down and begin prayer. If you have not noticed, I essentially have been putting my journal on a blog for people to read. These blog are my actual daily reflections and prayers! Now that this is out there, I come to sit down, I try to focus and I cannot at all. Today my cross is not being able to focus and I have a little bit of anxiety dealing with just work things and other personal things that will probably never make it on here :) Don't worry they are all little stupid things that I am blowing up in my head! Anyway, I have the cross of not being able to focus my mind fully on Christ this morning. Do I fully understand what the root of this is today? No!

    But here is the thing!!!! Do I really need to know what is the reason of my inability to focus? The answer is no! I say no because I am not looking to see why I am having a tough time focusing on prayer, I am focusing on making the most out of the time I am spending with Jesus. So how do you do this? Well you take the verse from the Gospel today and totally apply it to your life. You take the cross you have been given this day and you carry it! You carry it until you FINALLY break through with God and overcome that cross for the day. You are Laying Down Your Burdens To The Lord at the foot of His cross!

    Every single one of us has a problem of some sort today, it is just a matter of taking up your cross and using it to get through the day that God has planned. Who knows, maybe that tough start to your morning is going to be the bridge to a wonderful evening with that Special Valentine of yours tonight. Crosses may seem tough and heavy in the moment, but in my own life experience in having hope that Jesus will take care of everything, I can tell you that the crosses of this life will only help you grow closer to our wonderful maker! So let us today, focus more on just taking our cross on our journey for the day and worry less about how they make us feel and how tough they make our day. Besides.... If you think your crosses are heavy, well maybe you should ask Jesus what it was like holding the cross He was given!