Getting Out Of The Storm

In Matthew 16:24 and Mark 8:34 Jesus tells us “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” It is interesting that in (Matthew 16:16) when Peter spoke of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God, he was into it but in (Verse 20) when Peter sees Jesus on the Cross being crucified, he wants no part of it. You see, one minute Peter has revelation from God: True, Genuine revelation, acknowledged by Jesus. The next minute he is speaking in the flesh.
I was thinking this morning what it means to take up one’s cross doesn’t mean suffering from hay fever, back pain, heart condition, or even cancer. Taking up your cross means that you identify with Jesus to the point of suffering, shame, rejection, and perhaps even death. Taking up one’s cross is something we choose to do, not something you put up with. It’s a choice to deny yourself, a determination that, no matter what, you’ll stand for Jesus. 
If we set our hearts and minds on following Jesus, we can count on the storms of life arising in our lives because Even though Satan seeks to sink the boat we are in, God seeks to demonstrate to us His Faithfulness while at the same time He wants to strengthen our own personal faith. 
Oh how our faith grows when we turn to Jesus rather than trying to seek our own means and methods of getting out of the storm.