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I have a calling, but I wonder to what extent I feel the burden of the calling. When was the last time I agonized over my roles as a husband, father, grandfather, employee, Sunday school teacher, or community member? Quick prayers said on the drive to work do not reflect a life that feels the burden of the calling.

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. I finally figured out why this verse never bothered me. I never understood it. So much in this verse blows right over my head: follow Christ, deny myself, take up my cross. But how does that work?

As I read the verse a few times, “Take up your cross daily” began to resonate. The cross represents Christ’s burden and salvation to the world through His sacrificial death.

Jesus doesn’t mince words when He talks about our responsibilities as His followers. We don’t have to look far in Scripture to sense the burden of Christ’s calling. He agonized in Gethsemane. Significant drops of blood fell from His face as He contemplated what was about to happen. He cried, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? I’m thirsty. And it is finished.”

I’ve realized that the burdened life requires sacrificial prayer, extensive time in God’s Word, and love-motivated obedience to the One who called me.

Our primary calling is to respond positively to the call to follow Christ. Beyond that, God calls us to serve Him in the various spheres of life in which we may find ourselves: family, work, church, and community.

Find out what burdens you. Discover your gifts and abilities. The intersection of your burden and your gifts represents the core calling from which God will enable you to make a living, bless others, and grow His kingdom.

Let’s experience the burden of our calling daily as Christ has asked. To do less is to trivialize the role He has given us.

(Photo courtesy of pixabay and SimonDAllen.)