Remembering the Cross #1

An Easter, Lent, and Christian Journal:

Remembering the Cross

Easter has a whole new meaning this year after 21 Coptic Christians from Egypt were beheaded by ISIS--by terrorists. (This was announced in the news on Sunday, February 15, 2015.)

Today, Wednesday, February 18, 2015, is Ash Wednesday and the first day of Lent. 

ISIS has declared war on the Cross. On the nation and on the people of the Cross.

The people of the Cross. That's me. And, all the people of the Cross are my family. Just as what happened to those on 9/11/2001, my American family, so has this happened to my family. 

The people and the nation of the Cross...

I am one of the Cross.

Questions I am pondering and journaling (you can answer them for yourself as well):

1 How have I lived as though I am one of the people of the Cross? Today? This week? This month? This quarter? This year? The last five years? The last decade? The decades before that? How am I living as a person of the Cross each and every single moment of all the days of my life? 

2 How am I remembering the Cross today? How do I want to remember the cross tomorrow?

3 What does the Cross mean to me and my life?

The Cross:

Jesus was murdered so I could be forgiven for my wrongdoings, because He loves me. 

I do not deserve it and I cannot ever do anything to deserve it, but eternal life is freely given to me. 

His grace shows His love. 

The Cross is about His death, not mine.

He died so I, nor anyone else, has to.

The Cross is about love and peace.

The Cross is about unity, not division or us versus them.

The only thing required of me, ever, is to believe in the Cross. 

The Cross is about faith, hope, and love. 

The Cross is about a God who is All-Powerful, All-Knowing, Ever-Present, All and Ever Loving--and He does not require anyone to defend Him, or die for Him, for He can stand on His own. 

Jesus died on the Cross, not because God forced Him, but because He gave His life freely. 

I can place my worries, concerns, frustrations, burdens, emotions, thoughts, wrongdoings, and anything else I want at the foot of the Cross. It will never fall over or be crushed from the weight for my God is the Only God. He can handle it. He is God. 

The Cross is my firm foundation and solid rock. It is my light and is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 

The Cross is love.

Love is the Cross. 

Grace is found there--the Cross. 

Journaling Prompt:

1 Please journal your thoughts.

2 Now, journal your thoughts about the Cross given the terrorists actions over the last couple of months. What does this mean for you and your life?