In the Shadow of the Cross

Sometimes I feel like I’m just drifting through life, wandering from here to there with no real focus. I long for direction and purpose, and yet life often feels somewhat random and my purpose vague. In my head it’s all very clear. My purpose is “to live my life to glorify God and Him alone.” Yet practically how this plays out in my life is often obscure or absent. My life consists of a hundred of different things, many of which pull me in a different directions. Lately this has stirred me to ask myself, “What is my life really about?” Is it about community and friends? Family and relationships? Sports, work, hobbies?

And yet out of this swirling fog of uncertainty emerges one clear image – the cross. I am convinced that my life is truly about one thing - the Cross of Jesus Christ. It’s true that my life must be focused on living for God’s glory, and that anything done outside of that aim is empty, yet “living for God’s glory” can often seem like a vague concept in my mind.

But the Cross of Jesus is not vague. It is real, it is tangible, it is physical. It’s wooden beams stained with His crimson blood. It is there that my sins were crucified, and my life was redeemed as Christ substituted Himself in my place. It is there that I see the wrath of God satisfied, though it is not I who drink that cup but my Savior Jesus. It is on the cross that I was crucified with Christ, so that I might be resurrected with Him, and it is there that I received Christ’s pure robe of righteousness that allows me to come before God.

I live in the shadow of the Cross, and it is there that I must fix my eyes because it is not a vague concept, but a concrete image of God’s love and goodness. In a world of sin and temptation, the shadow of the Cross laid out before my feet guides me along the straight and narrow path that I must tred. It is here that I find my purpose, in the shadow of the cross; a shadow cast, not by a sun of flame and fire, but a Son of grace and love.

I don’t have to wander through life, nor drift towards death. I can run to Jesus in the shadow of the Cross. I can sprint their for His glory, loving people along the way as I saw Him love me. I can fix my eyes on my Savior, imitating His sacrifice and extending His love so that others might know His grace.

And that’s what I will try to do. I will fix my eyes on Jesus, and run to the cross for His glory. I don’t want to drift through life, chasing vain glory, empty dreams or futile idols. I want to seek what is good, and that means seeking the Good One. And with eyes fixed on Jesus, running in the shadow of the Cross, my life suddenly takes on shape and form. It gains purpose. I have seen His love, I know His grace, and now I will live my life loving others and sharing that grace that God might be praised and His Kingdom built.

Jesus’ death on the Cross is certainly our salvation, but it is also the place our purpose is rooted, our community is shaped, our love is empowered and our hope was birthed. It changes everything, and it has changed my life, so now I will fix my eyes on Jesus and run till He calls me home.

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This is a new blog I’m starting and I hope ya enjoy it! Please feel free to comment with any thoughts. Much love.

-Kyle