Christians "Carrying our crosses"

[zekko]

I was just explaining the meaning of the phrase to the OP.

I'm pretty sure the phrase "Carry your cross" doesn't mean be controlled and do what you're told.

 

[Spaz]

It means to be like Jesus, when he carried his (for the salvation of men), and he didn't complained.

For you, it could mean getting up early in the day to prepare breakfast for ur kids to school while the wife is asleep, then sending them to school and off to work.

And while at work, you do ur best even when u r reprimanded by ur superiors.

Then you're back to the house, trying to listen to everyone's grouses, from ur wife to ur kids, nodding ur head in keen understanding.

And all of it is done with a smile - that's carrying ur cross.

BTW different men has different cross to carry, it all depends on which path he has chosen to thread on.

 

[Atom Smasher]

It can also mean dealing with illness with grace and fortitude. I have a chronic stomach condition (had it all my life) that is awful in depth and scope of pain. I can choose to be defeated by it or I can choose to carry on the best I can in spite of it, without complaining.

 

[zekko]

It can also mean dealing with illness with grace and fortitude. I have a chronic stomach condition (had it all my life) that is awful in depth and scope of pain. I can choose to be defeated by it or I can choose to carry on the best I can in spite of it, without complaining.

Might also be called a "thorn in the flesh" or a "thorn in the side".

 

[mrgoodstuff]

In our relationship culture they make "carrying your cross" to mean being cvcked and used and hanging in there for the kids.

 

[Bible_Belt]

In the end, all religious preach the same message: Let go of that which you can't control and go with the flow instead of trying to swim against it.

I think you just summed up Taoism, the most popular religion in china. Their prime directive is to follow "the way," which is like a river of invisible positive energy running through our world. Comparatively, Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, the light." I find the parallel to be interesting.

 

[Kotaix]

I think you just summed up Taoism, the most popular religion in china. Their prime directive is to follow "the way," which is like a river of invisible positive energy running through our world. Comparatively, Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, the light." I find the parallel to be interesting.

I do read from the Tao quite a bit, you caught the influence. The base teaching of Buddhism is that everything is always changing, so don't hold on to anything, and that way you avoid suffering. But along those same lines, "Thy Will be done" is a tenet of all theistic religions I can think of; be it the caprice of hedonistic flawed gods or the will of an almighty God/Allah/Yaweh. Sincere prayer is an act of acknowledging that you aren't in control.

Even if you want to look at it from a purely secular position, trying to control that which you can't control and investing emotional energy into desired outcomes is a recipe for misery because something is eventually going to screw with your plans.

It's only thru letting go of what we can't control that we find peace and clarity of mind.

 

[zekko]

Sincere prayer is an act of acknowledging that you aren't in control.

Even if you want to look at it from a purely secular position, trying to control that which you can't control and investing emotional energy into desired outcomes is a recipe for misery because something is eventually going to screw with your plans.

It's only thru letting go of what we can't control that we find peace and clarity of mind.

That is certainly a very common theme of spirituality. That's why I've always had a problem with certain PUA tenets, where they teach things like "I am the king of my life, we are gods among men, we are in control of our destiny". Because as you note, nothing could be further from the truth. Look at Kobe, he was about as on top of things in his life as a guy could be.

 

[Atom Smasher]

I think that every man should be the King of his domain. Look at King David. He was the King of all of Israel, the absolute ruler. However, he answered to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, God Himself.

God has conveyed to us a specific hierarchy of authority. In fact, in the New testament he describes it as the following:
The direct head of the woman is the man. The direct head of the man is Jesus. The direct head of Jesus is God the Father.

The bible is the best manual on manly practice that there is. As you guys know, I am a bible-believing Christian, as is my fiance, and I know full-well that the reason we get along so great is that we are of the same spiritual mind. She knows that I am her authority and she happily accepts that, because I have demonstrated myself to be a sacrificial leader who answers to God, and she sees that I take my submission under him very, very seriously. God's way is always the best way and is always in harmony with the wiring he created us with.

 

[taiyuu_otoko]

Organized religion murdered Jesus, which is the unfathomable irony of organizing a religion to follow Jesus.

Technically, it was the Romans that executed Jesus.

And it was the Romans, under Emperor Constantine that made Christianity the favored religion a few hundred years later.

Go to any Catholic church on Sunday, and they say the Nicene creed, which was formulated the the council of Nicaea, organized by Constantine.

 

[Bible_Belt]

Technically, it was the Romans that executed Jesus.

That is really just a technicality; the Pharisees were the driving force. They were his enemy, not the roman empire.

 

[zekko]

For once, I agree with Bible. The Romans did as they were told in this.

I've never seen it as an accident that Jesus was crucified as a cooperative effort between both Israel and the gentiles.
But yeah, the Pharisees initiated it.

 

[zekko]

Jewish people hated Christ (And Christians) so much that when they migrated to the US, the illiterate ones instead of placing an X on the immigration form for their name (it was too close to a cross), they placed a circle, called a Kikel. Thus they were called Kikes.

Well, it's only fair to point out that the original disciples were Jewish, as was Jesus. But generally speaking, the Jewish people rejected Jesus as their Messiah. Which is why the Bible says that the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

 

[zekko]

I think that every man should be the King of his domain. Look at King David. He was the King of all of Israel, the absolute ruler. However, he answered to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, God Himself.

Israel needed no king, God was supposed to be their king. As it says in 1 Samuel 8:6-9:

But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”

 

[Atom Smasher]

The issue was the people's insistence on a king, at the wrong time, and for the wrong purpose "that we also may be like all the nations ". After the judgment period, when the wicker, early Saul was king over them, God Himself raised up David as a type of Christ. In Deuteronomy, God prophesies that they would want a king, and that the one to be appointed had to fit a very specific profile. This was not Saul.

God works within the sinful choices and desires of man. From the beginning, David was to be a type of Christ, flawed of course like every man, but still "a man after God's own heart" and still the author of most of the psalms, many of which portray him as that type of Christ.

 

[zekko]

God works within the sinful choices and desires of man.

True, but it was still a sinful choice.

 

[corrector]

Don't you think we can be and we actually are manipulated through way easier means?
Like Netflix shuving homosexuals down our throats?

Don't know what to make of the Netflix thing because its just an online digital library to me (probably more expensive than the public library down the street unless you have overdue books/DVDs/Blu-Rays). I mean, you don't have to look at anything you don't want to on it, and they do have faith-based Christian content and Christian-friendly secular content on it, probably more than pureflix if you are comparing quality content.

And a lot and I mean A LOT of bad movies to make people dumber, so you can waste your time and...maybe not read something once in a while? To be dumber so more easy to control.

That's why you have video movie reviews on youtube, Rotten Tomatoes, Internet Movie Database and even Christian review sites that go into detail about every issue with the movie. Any movie I watch is a very intentional, surgical and deliberate choice and not merely passively selected. As a net, I actually spend more time about movies than watching them, because there is too much junk to screen out.

I agree with everything else you are saying on here because I'm a Christian myself, and I feel that makes me even more accountable to what I'm choosing to watch, which is why additional research is necessary (i.e. to make sure the movie is clean or what my limits are). I don't make the script, but it is hard to see the Lord's name taken in vain in some of these movies. Being held to a higher standard than others is definitely a discipline, but I would not say its a cross, especially not in this example.

 

[evan12]

As somebody who is Christian (Roman Catholic); you always here it said that to be Christian we must carry our cross.

What does this mean exactly? Most Practicing Christians aren't being persecuted for their faith (unless you live in the ME or Africa).

I mean the only other thing I can think of is this.

It's alot easier to go through this life desiring the things of the flesh (money, sex, power, etc) or being a selfish person who has no qualms about taking advantage of others and only living for yourself.

To love, live for others, to be patient, charitable, compassionate etc, is a lot harder than the former. Wouldn't you agree?

In the bible there is two meaning
First one to accept there is always some suffering in life, once you accept your situation you will be more in peace. Especially if your suffering because you are doing something good
Second is specific for being Christian and how can you be treated bad for your believe, which you should keep holding your Christianity even if it mean loosing your life.