Have you ever been overwhelmed by your "to do" list? Your responsibilities seem to grow by the minute and as you weigh this list, it becomes boldly apparent...you CANNOT accomplish all that is required of you. How do I pay my bills, feed my family, fix my car, clothe my children, meet my deadlines and...serve the Lord? How do I handle those who hate me, those who persecute me, and those who are flat out mean? How do I deal with illness, loss, and death? It is a terrible feeling! Your chest caves in, your eyes droop and sometimes you lose the desire to even try. I've been there. I've been there more times than I can count. But there is one thing that lifts my head even in the center of the most stressful of circumstances.
The cross.
To kneel at the foot of the cross is the most precious gift. As the eye of my heart gazes on the Son of God things begin to change. I see the anguish and exhaustion tear through His body and I am captivated. I cannot take my eyes off of Him. His silence is disturbing. I want, with all my being, to hear Him rebuke the people. To stand up in His omnipotent power and display His splendor and wrath. But instead, He offers His hand to the soldier who will nail it to the cross. While the physical pain He suffers is beyond words, i can see another sorrow protruding. His eyes tell the story as He calls out "Father, forgive them." How can this be? God has loved you and me so much that in the midst of such terrible suffering He speaks of forgiveness. To know I am loved this deeply is humbling to say the least. I am quiet. By now the worries of my responsibilities have faded away and I am at peace. There I am reminded of my greatest and most pleasurable responsibility, to the love the Lord, my God, with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength! God is good!
