Carry the Cross Towards Victory
Quite a few years ago, the movie, Green Mile hit movie theaters. If you have never seen it, the movie is set on Death Row. Most of the players are either prison guards or inmates. These are the final weeks, days, and moments of these men’s lives. Some are guilty of the crimes they will pay for. At least one man walked to the electric chair a wrongly condemned man. There is a line that is said as one man is lead down the walkway: “Dead man walking”. Though this man was yet alive, his life was over.
As Christians, we are dead men/women walking. Though we live, our life is over. As Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20) In today’s reading, Christ tells his followers that we need to take up our cross and follow him. The cross was a form execution. The condemned were forced to carry their cross (some believe just part of it) to the spot of their execution. They were dead men walking. As we live, we too are marching towards our final moments on this earth, but we can do so without fear. We know where we are going. When we reach our ultimate destination, our struggles will be over!
As glorious as our future will be, right now we will have struggles. We were never promised an easy, carefree life. Jesus told us, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) We know we will face strife in our lifetime, but the end is worth it. In order for us to have peace as we walk through this troubled world, we need to remember that we are ‘dead men walking’. This life is not our own. We walk as God leads us, but we do not walk towards our doom. We walk towards our victory in Christ.
(Written by Keegan Harkins.)
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