Running towards my calvary (1)
And I suddenly found myself next to this person who was battered and bruised, with flesh hanging from his bones. "Help him!", the praetorian guarded barked. No way was I ever gonna help this common criminal carry his deathbed through the crowded city streets... i don't wanna be lumped in the same class as he is! The shame, the anguish... to be associated with such dirty business. No way.
Then He looked up at me, His face dripping with rose-coloured blood... dried blood acted as glue, bonding His beautiful locks of hair to His face... His deep blue eyes, swollen from the bruising delivered upon Him by the relentless fists of the guards, peered through His bloody locks. Such tenderness... "Will you help me carry the cross, my other self?"... My name is Simon.
And then it dawned on me. I'm not the hero who's saving a man in need... HE IS THE SAVIOUR... it was my privilege to have been chosen by my Lord, the Christ Himself, to stagger side-by-side, shoulder to shoulder with His battered body, bearing the weight of the world up to Calvary.
Yet it is also my calvary... my own journey. My cross is heavy... becoming burdensome... wait... why am I going towards my own crucifixion? Why should I even carry my own cross? I could just drop it... right here and now... lead the easy life... ME, MYSELF and I... without a care in the world.
But then again, I could choose otherwise too. Everyone have their crosses to bear... even Christ Himself. And my cross is nowhere near what Christ bore upon Himself. And by His death, that wonderful cross has removed all sin and shame; it is now a symbol of redemption, of triumph, of grace, of mercy....
And I find myself running towards my own calvary, so that I may crucify my old self with Christ, and that I may rise with Him to life eternal. Yet that would also mean having to nail my old self onto the cross first... dying to myself... allowing my BIOS to die and my ZOE to blossom... Death to my emotional attachments, tainted human desires and wants, my pride, my past, my present, my future...
And putting on the mind the mind and heart of Christ... putting on the armour of God... becoming like Christ... but by dying on my cross first...
Rhino 5
Then He looked up at me, His face dripping with rose-coloured blood... dried blood acted as glue, bonding His beautiful locks of hair to His face... His deep blue eyes, swollen from the bruising delivered upon Him by the relentless fists of the guards, peered through His bloody locks. Such tenderness... "Will you help me carry the cross, my other self?"... My name is Simon.
And then it dawned on me. I'm not the hero who's saving a man in need... HE IS THE SAVIOUR... it was my privilege to have been chosen by my Lord, the Christ Himself, to stagger side-by-side, shoulder to shoulder with His battered body, bearing the weight of the world up to Calvary.
Yet it is also my calvary... my own journey. My cross is heavy... becoming burdensome... wait... why am I going towards my own crucifixion? Why should I even carry my own cross? I could just drop it... right here and now... lead the easy life... ME, MYSELF and I... without a care in the world.
But then again, I could choose otherwise too. Everyone have their crosses to bear... even Christ Himself. And my cross is nowhere near what Christ bore upon Himself. And by His death, that wonderful cross has removed all sin and shame; it is now a symbol of redemption, of triumph, of grace, of mercy....
And I find myself running towards my own calvary, so that I may crucify my old self with Christ, and that I may rise with Him to life eternal. Yet that would also mean having to nail my old self onto the cross first... dying to myself... allowing my BIOS to die and my ZOE to blossom... Death to my emotional attachments, tainted human desires and wants, my pride, my past, my present, my future...
And putting on the mind the mind and heart of Christ... putting on the armour of God... becoming like Christ... but by dying on my cross first...
Rhino 5
posted by Rhino for God! at 10:20 PM
2 Comments:
thanks for the reflection bro. Indeed, before we can say as St.Paul in Galations "It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me", the con-joining verse before this is, "I am crucified with Christ".
Hence, the importance to read scripture in context to gain an insight to its fuller meaning and truth. Indeed, i too do fear the crucifixion, but i've been increasingly challenged to realise that this path of discipleship entails both eating the bread(of life, Jesus Himself) and also drinking of the cup(of suffering).
With this heightened awareness, when the priest(Christ) says, "Take this cup and drink from it, this is my blood, the new and everlasting covenant", it means accepting wholly, entirely, the life of Christ. Not just the joys, gifts, joy, but embracing the suffering, sorrow, rejection(agape love), like how u beautifully shared, sharing in a fraction of what our Saviour underwent.(being crucified with Christ).
Oh well, i love the way xl puts it, hugging our cross tighter, i.e. embracing full identity,sufferings and all in Christ.
Wait up! We'll run toward calvary together!
Love,
No. 7
Running toward Calvary brings us that much closer toward being united with Him in suffering. It is by His wounds that we are healed.
There can be no resurrection and healing without the long trudge toward Calvary. What a joy and honour it is to be allowed to share in some small part, His suffering, so that we may join Him at the Resurrection.
It is in the Resurrection that He makes all things new and we become God's new creation. The Crucifixion comes full circle in the Resurrection just as God's love in you comes full circle through your obedience to His will. Cheer up Clem!
the fool
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