2022 Spiritual Retreat Day 6

On the sixth day of my weeklong spiritual retreat we discussed the meaning of living a spiritual life versus a materialistic one, which I covered in my third book. How helping others to carry their burden can help reduce carrying our own.

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matt 16:24–26)

This was the topic of the 6th day of my spiritual retreat in 2022, understanding what power of the cross is. Each person has a different cross to bear, and often we cannot realizing what our brother/sister is carrying everyday – a terminal illness, a dying child, etc. We should have faith to place these worries at the foot of the cross and follow in the footsteps of Jesus, as He lived His life, helping others. Yes, we all have problems, and worries, but these are all worldly issues. Jesus is telling us to put those issues in the hands of God and use that energy to help those around you, that have their own problems and worries. When we help them carry their cross, we lighten the load from our own.

This is what Jesus is telling us. If we center our life on dealing with our materialistic problems, we lose the meaning of life – to love our neighbors and our enemies, and to become perfect as God is perfect. (Matt 5:44–48)