The Cross You Didn’t Choose
Jesus says, “If anyone want to be a follower of mine, let him… take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). He does not say “Make a cross” or “Look for a cross.” Each of us has a cross to carry. There is no need to make one or look for one. The cross we have is hard enough for us! But are we willing to take it up, to accept it as our cross?
Maybe we can’t study, maybe we are handicapped, maybe we suffer from depression, maybe we experience conflict in our families, maybe we are victims of violence or abuse. We didn’t choose any of it, but these things are our crosses. We can ignore them, reject them, refuse them, or hate them. But we can also take up these crosses and follow Jesus with them.
—Henry Nouwen,
Taking Up Our Cross
Jesus never asked us to invent burdens—only to carry the ones already on our shoulders. As Henry Nouwen reminds us, each of us has a cross, uniquely shaped by our own pain, limitations, or suffering. We may not have chosen it, and we certainly wouldn’t have wished for it, but this cross is ours. And the question Jesus asks is not why we carry it, but whether we will carry it with Him.
For those facing depression, family conflict, trauma, or chronic struggle, this is not a call to minimize pain—it’s an invitation to dignity and discipleship. The cross you bear may feel like too much, but Jesus promises to carry it with you. In taking it up, you are not giving up—you are choosing to follow the One who turns even suffering into sacred ground. —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics