Hi Kids!
Today, we’re going to learn about a verse from the bible that Jesus once said to his disciples. The verse comes from the book of Matthew, chapter 16, verse 24 and it goes as follows; ” Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” To give this verse some more context, watch the video below to learn more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK_lZLJilYk
What do you think Jesus meant when he said to “take up your cross”? Does he want you to physically hold up a cross everyday to show you follow him? Not exactly. The cross is much more than an actual one you see at churches or on a necklace; it’s a reminder of our Savior, Jesus Christ and also a call to action. When you take up your cross, you should be acting and doing things in a way that Jesus would act and do even if doing so causes you to lose or give up something.
There are many different ways in which you can take up your cross:
- Being kind to someone who’s been bullied at school
- Helping your parents with cleaning the house
- Sharing with your siblings or friends
- Smiling at someone who looks a little unhappy
- Giving your chore money to someone who is hungry and doesn’t have the means to buy food
- Or in general, giving help to those who need it
Being a follower of Jesus Christ is not an easy task. As you can see, you must do a lot of giving even though you may not get anything in return, but that’s ok! This is what Jesus wants us to do. As long as you take up your cross and be kind and generous, you will live a much better life.
In remembrance of Jesus and our call to be like him, let’s sing along and dance to a song about taking up our cross below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJTr3dcDS0A