The Cruciform Life
“The cross is not the suffering tied to natural existence, but the suffering tied to being Christians. The cross is not accidental suffering, but necessary suffering.”—Dietrich Bonhoeffer
When I was in high school in the small town of Winter Garden, Florida, a guy would walk up and down the main highway that led in and out of town, carrying a large cross on his shoulders.
I saw him dozens of times, but never got the courage to stop and ask him why he was doing it. I kind of wrote him off as a religious nut, and would shake my head every time I saw him on the road.
Eventually, he affixed a wheel on the bottom of the cross to make it easier to carry, which furthered my amusement and not a little scorn. I figured if you were going to carry a cross like Jesus, putting a wheel on it sort of ruined the image.
Looking back, I have a different view of the guy and the cross he chose to publicly bear.
While it was definitely strange, and not the ordinary kind of thing that you see happening on the side of the road, that guy carrying his cross used what was essentially street theater to make a point about what it means to follow Jesus.
To be fair, I'm not advocating that those of us who claim to be Christian should follow his example and begin wheeling a cross around with us everywhere we go. But it does bring to mind the verses from Matthew's Gospel above, where Jesus tells his followers to "take up their cross."
We sometimes speak about a “cross to bear” as though it simply means something difficult in our lives—a frustrating situation, an illness, a difficult relationship, or some burden we wish we didn't have.
But when Jesus spoke about taking up a cross, his disciples would have heard something much more unsettling.
The cross was an instrument of Roman power. It represented humiliation, suffering, and death.
Jesus was saying that following him requires surrender.
The Christian life, then, isn't primarily about protecting ourselves. It is about learning to give ourselves away in love.
Paul captures this beautifully in Philippians when he tells us to have “the same mind” as Christ Jesus. Though Christ possessed every claim to greatness, he emptied himself, took the form of a servant, humbled himself, and became obedient “to the point of death—even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8)
This is sometimes called a cruciform life—a life shaped like the cross.
It means choosing service over status.
Generosity over accumulation.
Forgiveness over revenge.
Humility over ego.
Compassion over indifference.
Love over the need to win.
None of this means allowing ourselves to be abused or believing suffering is somehow inherently holy. Jesus repeatedly resisted injustice and defended those who were mistreated.
The cross isn't about seeking suffering.
It is about choosing love even when love costs us something.
Our culture constantly teaches us to protect our interests, defend our status, build our influence, and make sure we come out ahead.
Jesus offers another way.
He tells his followers, “Whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”
Which brings us back to our driving question: What would Jesus do?
He would love.
He would serve.
He would give.
And then he would say:
“Do that.”
The cross isn't simply something Jesus carried for us.
It is also the shape of the life Jesus invites us to live.
Prayer
Jesus, shape my life by your self-giving love. Free me from my need for status, comfort, and control. Teach me to serve generously, love courageously, and follow you faithfully, even when love costs me something. Amen.
Reflection Questions
- Where am I currently choosing comfort or self-protection over faithful love?
- What might “taking up my cross” mean in this season of my life?
- What is one concrete way I can choose service, generosity, forgiveness, or humility today?
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