My Rugged Ol' Friend

The pressures of life are heavy.  The Spirit that must carry us through has no choice but to swell inside our bodies us to keep us afloat.  All the breaks in our hearts, minds and even ego are made whole again by the Spirit.  When we surrender, we gain the strength we need to take that additional step that seemed unthinkable.  When we surrender we lose every bit of self we convince ourselves daily we need.  Losing one’s self is scary even if the result is something greater.

There is a reason the cross is made of wood.  If it was meant to be showy, it would be made of gold to serve as a reminder of the worth of God’s love.  If it was meant to reflect the beauty of God’s creation and love it would be made of mirrors.  You get my drift.  It is not made of impressive or expensive material.  The cross is made of wood and for good reason.  

When life hands me troubling news, stressed moments and hair pulling activities I have only one choice: Nail it to the cross and walk away.  It is then no longer my worry and I have only my future moments to face. 

Wood is sturdy, strong and real.  The cross has withstood the weight of the sins of the world, surely my small worries of this world will not break it.  

I did not come up with this on my own.  One Sunday morning with a heavy heart I wandered into a church.  I yearned to hear a hymn and what I found was the soundtrack of my conscience.  The minister, Dr. Paynter, had just lost a parishioner to a senseless shooting and was trying to come to terms with it all.  It was real, honest and not for show.  His message was clear: it is not for us to understand and that is too hard understand itself.  We have a choice: be bitter or believe.  His advice was “Nail it to the cross and walk away”.  

The words rang true to me.  They still do today.  I am not perfect.  I am not a perfect mother, perfect wife or perfect employee.  Each night in my silent minutes of unraveling, I picture myself nailing my faults to the ol’ wooden cross and it gives me hope for a better tomorrow.  Who knows maybe one day I will trade it in for a crown.