What do you do at Crossroads?
I write for a local friend and owner of a magazine. He, or his daughter, reaches out to me whenever they need something written for a special occasion or holiday. I love to write and it’s just another way for me to express thoughts way beyond my everyday acquaintances. Not long ago, they requested an article for Easter. While thinking about what I would write I came upon the thought of Crossroads. I hope you enjoy the article below but even more importantly, I hope that you can see yourself in it and glean whatever you may need for this season of your life. I would only pose one question before you begin. What do you do at Crossroads?

I can still hear his words echoing in my heart and throughout history.
“O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
It was a prayer of agony. A prayer of desperation. Wanting to escape the pain and torture. Wanting to evade the loneliness of death and the grave. “Please, Please, let there be another way.” His distress was obvious. His sweat had become drops of blood. He had fallen and lowered his head to the earth to beg for His life. Lying on the damp ground in a garden late at night, He found himself at a crossroad. His decision would affect, not only Himself, but all of mankind. The weight of all iniquity pushed his tear stained face deeper into His hands as he stretched His body onto the earth He created with just His spoken word.

This is the moment HE was created for. What would He do?
Have you ever been in the “valley of decision” in your life? A crossroad, so to speak. Surrounded by many directions and wondering which one you should take? Thoughts run through your head like, “How long do I have to make this decision?” “I wonder what obstacles lie ahead of me on each path?” “Where does this road lead?”

Maybe it’s a new job opportunity and you are standing in the doorway of sure success. Maybe it’s a relationship that is moving forward in the right direction and you are thinking about popping the question. Or the transition into a new home with more room than you could have ever imagined.
Or perhaps it’s the path moving forward after the loss of a loved one. Could it be the waning of that professional passion you had for so many years? Maybe it’s an event that you didn’t plan on at all. Maybe it’s an accident that has ripped apart your vision of what your future was going to look like. What about the destruction of a relationship beyond repair? When someone walks out of your life and never turns around to see the broken pieces, much less help you pick them up.
I’m talking about crossroads.
We like to associate crossroads with BIG things. We think of these moments as monumental in our lives. Decisions that only come to us once in a lifetime. We visualize them as rare and full of hope and excitement but crossroads have a little more depth to them than that. In reality, we encounter crossroads every single day. They are buried in the millions of decisions we make about life.
- Casual dress or comfy chic for work today?
- Do you take a shortcut to work or stay on the main highway?
- Ground your teen for disrespect or let it slide?
- Lie to get that promotion or wait your turn?
- Volunteer to help or know your plate is too full.
- Spend time with loved ones or work late to make that deadline.
- Extend a listening ear or excuse yourself in a hurry.
- Make dinner or get take out.
- Talk it out or bottle it up.
- Hold a grudge or forgive.
The list could go on and on, but I think you get the point.
You are staring into the future with every “present” decision you make.
And while some decisions SEEM more important than others, I would like to point out that a multitude of small Yes’s and No’s add up quickly.
In Matthew 26:39, we see Jesus at the biggest crossroad of His earthly life, wrestling with flesh and spirit. Hoping that there would be another way to redeem all of mankind. Even before He knelt in that garden, He knew there was only one right choice.
I think we can all relate. There is a large part of me that believes every time we encounter a situation, we pretty much know what we SHOULD do. It’s just that we stay in the “valley of decision” and let the flesh wrestle with the spirit long enough to rationalize our decision to do something else.
If we hang out at the crossroad long enough, it’s easy for us to leave the “cross” there and take the “road” of less suffering.
Knowing that His decision would affect everyone and everything around Him, Jesus chooses to utter these words and ultimately submit His wants and desires for heaven’s. “Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
In other words, I wish I didn’t have to walk through this. I wish there was a different way. I wish that there was an easier road that wouldn’t cost me so much. I don’t want to hurt, I don’t want to be humiliated, beaten, scorned, betrayed, abused, falsely accused, rejected, ridiculed, and murdered. I don’t want to suffer, BUT if this is what it takes. If this is the path that you have Chosen, God. Then I lay down what I want, and I submit to what You have asked me to endure. Your plan will prevail over mine.

With Easter quickly approaching, we are gearing up to celebrate the miraculous resurrection of Jesus on the third day. And what a MIRACLE it was!

But there was a different kind of miracle happening in the garden a few days before. God himself, robed in flesh, gave us an example of how to willingly lay down our lives in exchange for something better, HIS will. He taught us how to endure HARD things for the good of others. He showed us how to properly navigate the “CROSSroads” in life and come out victorious.
One day we will join Him in that resurrected state, but until then, I want to live my life in that garden of submission, pick up my cross in the road, and carry on.
be sure to subscribe for more devotions!
check out some other inspiring writings:
How to live in a state of worship
leave me a comment below, what do you do at crossroads?
pin it for later!
