Kiosks and Crosses (Friday Devotional)

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed…Therefore, let those suffering in accordance with God’s will entrust themselves to a faithful Creator, while continuing to do good.”

- 1 Peter 4:12-13, 19

When I am walking through a mall, I stay as far to the right of the walkway as possible. I don’t do it so I can window shop, or because I’m trying to give a wide berth to the other shoppers. I’m just trying to stay as far away from the kiosks as possible.

Whether they’re selling cell phone cases, decorative frames, or designer perfume, the folks manning the kiosks that sit in the middle of the mall have one thing in common: they don’t wait for you to come to them. Instead, if you get inside their invisible perimeter, they address you directly and immediately dive into their sales pitch, forcing you to decide, ‘do I rudely interrupt them and walk away or stand here awkwardly and pretend to listen to their whole spiel?’ It’s an uncomfortable enough situation that my admittedly flawed solution is to just stay as far away from them as possible. I’d rather not have to deal with them, so I just avoid them.

Most people have that exact attitude when it comes to any sort of discomfort, from minor anxiety to serious suffering—whenever possible, avoid it at all costs. If you can avoid future conflicts by threatening or even attacking your enemy, you should do that instead of praying for him. If you can avoid discomfort and insecurity by saving your money, then you should do that instead of giving to those in need. If you can avoid embarrassment by staying quiet instead of sharing the Gospel, you should stay silent instead of speaking up.

But Scripture calls believers to a different approach to suffering. Far from avoiding it, Christians are called to embrace suffering as the inevitable consequence of conforming to Christ instead of the world. While we are not meant to masochistically seek out pain, neither are we to flee from it when obedience to Christ comes at personal cost. The cross of Jesus Christ was an act of intentional surrender to suffering in the name of love, and those who put their faith in that cross are called also to live by its example.

While we are quick to claim the hope of Christ’s resurrection as our own, we are slower to claim the sufferings of his crucifixion. Like the twelve disciples, we imagine ourselves sharing in Jesus’s glory, but have no expectation of that glory coming at a cost. We want to follow Jesus, but when it threatens to become uncomfortable we pull back.

What you must remember is that the way of Jesus is the way of the cross, that true discipleship means obedience to God even when it costs you something. Turning the other cheek means getting slapped twice; forgiving seventy-seven times means living through seventy-seven offenses; giving your time and money and energy to others means leaving yourself only the scraps—but these consequences are not reasons to abandon obedience, they are proof that you are crucified with Christ. So as you seek to follow him, may you do so even when it is difficult, even when it costs you something. For the call of the cross is not to avoid suffering for your sake, but to bear its burden for the sake of others.