Trade Comfort for the Cross

“Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23 NKJV

As my husband and I were making the long drive home from the Snowdrop Ultra yesterday, I reflected back on the countless times throughout the race that it was necessary for me to reject the comforts of the flesh in order to continue pressing on to the finish line—the place where I eventually grabbed hold of the prize (a shiny Texas-sized belt buckle) for not giving in.

And while there were many moments throughout the event that came to mind, one of the most extreme tests of discipline came in the form of Wednesday’s wake up. You see, unlike other ultras, where I’m usually racing the clock to ensure that I come in under the standard cutoff time of 30 hours (which means running throughout the night with no break), the Snowdrop is a 55-hour race—which meant I had a little wiggle room to reach my goal of 100 miles before the next days sunset. 

So, around 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday evening (after logging 61 miles), I joyfully climbed into the tent with my husband. I was tired, my feet were swollen and sore, and I was colder than I'd been in quite a long time. The Texas temps had dipped below freezing so the warmth of the temporary shelter (and having my husband by my side) was a welcome relief. So much so, though, that I was tempted to stay inside after the few hours of rest I had allotted myself. The frigid air was permeating the thin vinyl barrier that separated us from the outside—something I was reminded of the moment my head rose from under my sleeping bag and my nose felt the chill.

Knowing that I needed to get back to running, I set my face like flint and climbed out of my warm bedding to make a clean break from comfort to began changing my clothes in the cold air. “Just stay focused,” I kept telling myself as I began to shiver a bit.  “You’ll warm back up once you get going.”

It seemed to take an eternity to get prepared, to say the least, but as I eventually zipped open the tent door and allowed my headlamp to illuminate the dark path before me, I stepped out and smiled at the sight. “Not today satan,” I said under my breath. “I have a race to run. And when I’m done, I’ll be giving God all the glory.”

And, you know, the focus, discipline, and passion it takes to run long distances such as this is the same determination, tenacity, and devotion it takes to follow Jesus as He has called us to follow Him. You see, when Jesus said to the disciples “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me,” He was making it very clear that this was to be no half-hearted or part-time commitment but a complete and total surrender of our wants and wills to take up His wants and wills.

“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” Luke 9:24-35

Notice that Jesus said we must do it daily? This isn’t a one time decision but a way of life. This is a deliberate shunning of the world and its comforts to go after Christ. "Taking up your cross" means daily self-denial, putting Jesus first in all things, and being willing to endure hardship or even suffering (like persecution) for our faith. It's a deliberate, continuous minute-by-minute choice to live a life centered on Christ, letting go of every shred of self-centered living.

Consider this… In Jesus' time, carrying a cross meant a condemned criminal was publicly accepting their execution, and the scorn and shame associated with it. Jesus used this vivid image to convey the total commitment and potential cost of following Him so there would be no misconceptions on what it meant to be a faithful follower. Jesus made it clear that a faithful follower holds nothing back in their service to Him, not even their very lives!

“And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:24

And you can be sure, this is the loyalty, steadfastness, and one-mindedness Jesus expects from all those who follow Him. Our love for Christ and our want to serve Him must completely consume our thoughts, our hearts, and all of our pursuits. Which means we must continually crucify our flesh to make it obedient to God’s will rather than our own will. Rather than embracing comfort, then, we must embrace the discomfort of the cross knowing that, in the end, we will take hold of a heavenly reward that will make all the effort and the suffering worth it.

A.W. Tozer summed it up this way, “The man with a cross no longer controls his destiny; he lost control when he picked up his cross. That cross immediately became to him an all-absorbing interest, an overwhelming interference. No matter what he may desire to do, there is but one thing he can do; that is, move on toward the place of crucifixion.”

So, refuse to chase after the things of this world my friend. Embrace discomfort as a friend and run the race God has set before you with a laser focus on the finish line. It won’t always be easy to take the next step or complete the next mile but pressing on despite the hardships and the hurdles will be worth it in the end. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for making it abundantly clear that a half-hearted devotion to You is no devotion at all. Help us to completely surrender our lives to You Lord, that we might joyfully trade the comforts of this world for the joy of the cross and thereby grab hold of the eternal prize that awaits every faithful follower. Help us to see that any suffering we may endure for your sake will be worth going through once we grab hold of eternal life. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!