what of the cross?

Today the cross

  is a symbol

to be

         worn on necklaces

            tattooed on ankles

               stuck on bumpers.

It stands for “Jesus”

or sometimes just “church”

(meaning the building and service, of course)

But what of the cross? 

the real cross

the bloody cross…

Jesus’ cross? 

What makes me think my sin

is to black to be hung on Your

             torture device? 

What makes me think my problems

are too heavy to be added to 

            the weight of the world? 

What makes me think my failures 

are something special to me

and haven’t already been added

by another person

              at another time, 

                    in another place? 

What makes me think I should

hold on to anything
          when You died for everything 

             I don’t want to hold onto? 

Through forgiveness, You gave us the freedom 

to forgive, 

so what makes me think I cannot

forgive myself? 

I don’t rejoice in the cross because

it is a shining beacon

of hope and life. 

It is not shining.

It is bloody

                      splintered

                      heavy

                      dirty.

I rejoice in the cross because

there I can leave the worst parts of me,

the pride

                          anger

                          self-deprecation 

                          ugliness

                          selfishness

                          gossip
                            greed

and then I can turn around

and walk away

free

for Christ.