We used to think that Jesus died on the cross to detour us around our worst case scenarios.

While our years are full of the good and the bad and the ugly, we prefer to bring only our good to the Lord.

Yet this isn’t what Christ died for.

The cross is planted in the darkest pits of our realities, past or present.

After all, life has swallowed up death and the light has invaded the darkness.

If we are detoured around it all, death is not swallowed up and light doesn’t invade.

As believers though, we can often just want to get to the good stuff. We want the high of salvation without the depths of repentance and sorrow.

We want the feel good of forgiveness without ever once really looking our sin in the eye.

But this doesn’t work. Skimming over our darkness means we get a surface coat of Christ.

Wouldn’t you like more of him than that?

How much saving would you like?

How much do you need?

That is exactly how much you will get. I’m pretty sure, there is even more for you, if you’ll just pick up your cross and follow Christ.

p.s. Once you’ve followed Christ into and through your personal darkness, nothing is scary anymore.

Nothing