We are all called to be disciples, but it is not easy. Each day we find ourselves in a spiritual battlefield. Personally, I love enveloping myself in God’s Word, studying and pondering the wide variety of lessons and events in the Bible. Yet carrying out the teachings contained there is an entirely different task!
I am a coward and I am weak. Physically tired and emotionally weary, I regularly don’t know how to begin when I am told to “take up your cross”. But what stands out the most from today’s Gospel passage is Christ’s command, “You follow me,” delegating to each of us a unique mission, one special to me and no one else. We were placed in this moment in time and in this place for a reason. The whys and hows may not come easily though, and with the countless distractions (particularly from the online realm), I often feel helpless.
Yet to be a disciple is to humble oneself just as our Master did, serving the Lord first through the smallest of ways. I can think of circumstances that otherwise would feel “unfair” as gifts I can present back to Jesus my Lord, as I owe Him everything. No action is too little for Him. In my day to day tasks as a mother or daughter, sister or wife, at those times when I find it most difficult to be a servant, I can offer them up as a token of thanks.
How immensely blessed I am after all! Although I am unworthy, God has granted me a gift, not only with my present life, but much more with the hope of eternal salvation.
Todos estamos llamados a ser discípulos, pero no es fácil. Cada día nos encontramos en un campo de batalla espiritual. Personalmente, me encanta sumergirme en la Palabra de Dios, estudiar y meditar en la gran variedad de enseñanzas y acontecimientos de la Biblia. ¡Pero poner en práctica esas enseñanzas es una tarea completamente diferente!
Soy cobarde y débil. Cansada físicamente y agotada emocionalmente, a menudo no sé por dónde empezar cuando se me dice: “toma tu cruz”. Pero lo que más me impresiona del pasaje del Evangelio de hoy es el mandato de Cristo: “Tú, sígueme”, delegándonos a cada uno una misión única, especial para mí y para nadie más. Fuimos puestos en este momento y en este lugar por una razón. Sin embargo, las razones y la manera de lograrlo no siempre son fáciles de comprender, y con las innumerables distracciones (especialmente las del mundo digital), a menudo me siento impotente.
Sin embargo, ser discípulo significa humillarse, tal como lo hizo nuestro Maestro, sirviendo al Señor primero hasta en las cosas más pequeñas. Puedo considerar las circunstancias que de otro modo me parecerían “injustas” como regalos que puedo ofrecer a Jesús, mi Señor, ya que le debo todo. Ninguna acción es demasiado pequeña para Él. En mis tareas diarias como madre o hija, hermana o esposa, en esos momentos en que me resulta más difícil servir, puedo ofrecerlas como muestra de agradecimiento.
Después de todo, ¡qué inmensamente bendecida soy! Aunque soy indigna, Dios me ha concedido un don, no solo con mi vida presente, sino mucho más con la esperanza de la salvación eterna.
Dr. Alexis Dallara-Marsh is a board-certified neurologist who practices in Bergen County, NJ. She is a wife to her best friend, Akeem, and a mother of four little ones on Earth and two others in heaven above.
Feature Image Credit: Nikola Tomašić, unsplash.com/photos/statues-depicting-jesus-carrying-the-cross-with-women-nYew1Ffqc0E
The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.
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