Pick Up What Matters Most

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." - Matthew 16:24
 
There is something brutal about a cross. It is not made for comfort. The wood is raw, the edges are splintered, and the weight is not just physical but emotional and spiritual too. It is not built for relaxation or ease. It is built for death. Jesus did not sugarcoat it. He told us plainly that to follow Him, we would have to take up a cross.
 
Now, in our world today, that might not seem like good news. We naturally seek comfort. We like soft pillows, steady jobs, and relationships that require little risk. We love a predictable routine, an escape from pain, and the illusion that we are in control. But Jesus calls us to something much deeper than the pursuit of ease. He calls us to an exchange.
 
Comfort may give you a moment of peace, but the cross leads to eternal victory. The cross is painful, but it is also powerful. It costs much, but it gives even more. When you pick up your cross, you are stepping into something that transforms, redeems, and sets you free. When you lay down comfort, you are not losing, you are gaining a purpose bigger than yourself.
 
This exchange will not always make sense. People will wonder why you do hard things for the sake of faith. Why forgive when it would feel better to hold a grudge? Why serve when you could sit? Why give generously when you could save every dollar? It is because you are building something that lasts. You are not stacking stones for a temporary wall. You are shaping a life with eternal weight.
 
The cross will cost you comfort, but it will give you the kind of life that matters forever. So today, look closely at what you are exchanging. Comfort might feel good now, but only the cross will matter in the end.