My wonderful husband, Mike, asked me awhile ago, "What does it mean to 'pick up your cross and follow me'?" At the time I didn't really know how to answer that. I thought maybe it meant to let go of your worldly wants and desires and to live for Christ. To wake up every day making that choice again and again. I brushed the question off with that response thinking it sounded pretty good. This week, however, it has been ringing in my ears. So, finally, I decided to do some digging..
Matthew 16:24-26 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?"
What do these verses mean? Take up my cross? Lose my life? I found the answers! (http://www.gotquestions.org/take-up-your-cross.html) One thing we need to remember when reading this, is that Jesus was speaking these words in the 1st century. This was over 2000 years ago, people! Things were a whole lot different then than they are now! The cross is viewed quite differently these days. We hang it on our living room walls or around our necks to remind us of the great love that Christ has for us. It is a cherished symbol of forgiveness, love, grace, and redemption.
But 2000 years ago, this was NOT the case! The cross was carried on the backs on the criminals who were to be hung on them. They were forced to carry their cross through town and up to the hill where they were ultimately killed on them, facing ridicule the entire way. In the 1st century, the cross only meant one thing... "death by the most painful and humiliating means human beings could develop.""In Jesus day, the cross meant nothing but torturous death."
So what can we take from this perspective? What was Jesus trying to tell us in a 1st century setting?? That we must be willing to die to ourselves every day and follow Him. We must be able to let go of everything and anything and go with Him. This is not saying we will have to, but if we come to a place in our life where we are faced with a choice.. will we make the choice to follow Him? There are places in the world where these choices are an every day reality.
"Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your friends, family, job, reputation, or even your life?" Could you give EVERYTHING up? Walk away from everything you have ever known? Your hopes, dreams, comforts, possessions.. leave it all behind to follow Christ?
This is a tough question. But take comfort in knowing the reward is worth the price. Remember...
Matthew 16:27 "For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done."
Monday, August 6, 2012, I stood beside my husband as he made an oath to our country and to our family. An oath to protect us, stand up for us, and never stop fighting for our safety and well being. It was an honor to not only be able to stand beside the man that I love and respect to no end as he made these promises, but to also have him being sworn in by the Chief of Staff, General Odierno. This was not something that happens every day and it is definitely a day that will stay with us forever.
The decision to re-enlist was not one we took lightly. When we first got married, it was not even an option to us. We had no interest in staying away from family for any longer than necessary, we did not want to endure another deployment, and we wanted to plant our roots and make a life that could make everyone else happy as well. Then, over the course of the past year, we have seen families get out of the Army only to have to sign up for welfare and wait in lines at the food shelf. Jobs are not easy to come by in today's economy. This is something everyone has to endure, not just the men and women who are getting out of the military. It is a harsh reality and many of our loved ones have struggled through interview after interview trying to desperately find employment in order to provide for their families. Do we want to risk the same fate? Do we want to have to sell all of our belongings and move into some one's basement with our 5 children until we can find something more stable financially?
So, we started praying. Asking God for guidance. Do we stay in and risk disappointing all of our loved ones, not to mention another deployment? Or should we get out and risk being homeless. After months of praying and seeking guidance from Him, it became increasingly clear that we needed to stay in the Army and guarantee our financial security. Mike waited until it felt right and finally was surprised to hear that they had changed some things up and were going to give him the rare opportunity to stabilize. This meant that he could stay at his current MOS (his job as a truck driver), and also it would guarantee him to stay here at Ft Stewart in his current unit. This was a good thing, because if he was going to have to deploy anyway, Mike really wanted to deploy with the men and women he has been working beside for the last year. (Can you blame him? Who wants to go into a war zone with strangers you can't trust?!) This would also be good for the girls and I because we have established friendships with people here that can help support us emotionally through this deployment. We have an incredible church that has been instrumental in bringing us a closeness with God that we never knew existed. Plus, the girls would be able to go to their same school for the second year in a row (unfortunately this is the first time we can say this..) Everything seemed to fall into place so perfectly that it couldn't be anything other than God.
This re-enlistment has to do with our financial security and stability for our family. It has nothing to do with anything other than Mike and I trying to find the best way to provide for our family. This is a good thing and although we know our loved ones are disappointed and upset, I genuinely hope that you can understand our decision. We know as a military family that sacrifice is inevitable. It is hard and it just plain sucks sometimes, but it is necessary and all we can do is get through it knowing that God is holding us each and every step of the way. I am no longer fearful of our future or anything that may come. I am faithful that God will provide us with everything we will need to get through as he has already proven.
