When I was young and first heard this text, I couldn't understand why I needed to find a cross to be like Jesus... I didn't see anyone else carrying crosses, except maybe as jewelry. And what did it mean to lose your life to find it? Did that mean to die? As a child, I couldn't get my head around it. As an adult, I've come to see the metaphor. It comes down to what we live for... if we live for only ourselves, we lose the opportunity to know life in its fullest. When we live for something greater than ourselves-- when we live for God and give ourselves away, we experience life itself in the way its meant to be. Taking a breath happens in two parts: the inhale and the exhale. Living for ourself is the inhale, giving ourselves away is the exhale-- a complete breath. A complete life.
Readings: Genesis 31:17-32:12; Matthew 10:26-11:6; Psalm 13:1-6; Proverbs 3:16-18
