At the Foot of the Cross

If I had been at the foot of the cross that day when Jesus was dying to save my soul from the pit of destruction, what group would I have been in?

Would I have been next to His mother, letting her squeeze my hand through her agony, and use my sleeve to wipe tears of sorrow away? Would I have been among the women who followed Him with all of their hearts who would not leave Him in the hour of His great suffering?

Would I have been standing with the mockers with the word "crucify" still lingering on my tongue, with my heart brimming with satisfaction as I watched Him carry a cross loaded with the invisible weight of sin upon His torn and mangled back?

Or would I have been with those gambling for His garments, the ones wanting to take home a souvenir? Would I have been willing to gamble and feel lucky should I walk away with a piece of cloth that He had worn? After all, wasn't this the garment that the sick touched and were healed from? Surely it would be a priceless treasure someday. Would that have been enough for me?

Perhaps some of the ones who mocked were the ones He had passed by, the ones who still had sickness in their homes, or loved ones who had been buried. Perhaps they had not been protected from the storms and tragedies of life. Perhaps He had walked passed them on the street and did not heal their blindness, or sorrow, or cover their shame. But He was dying for them on the cross. Their sin was included in the invisible load. Their eternity was being purchased with His blood now spilling before their eyes.

How long did the garments survive that they stripped from Him that day? One thousand years? Where are they now? Does it matter?

What perspective do you have at the foot of the cross? I have been imagining myself there with the various groups who were once gathered. As I reflect upon this horrible/wonderful day in time, I am perplexed of heart and soul. Whatever group I might have gravitated to at the foot of the cross, whatever place I would have chosen for myself, my Lord Jesus would have died for me. He would have carried the weight of my sin to the cross so that I could be saved from my sinful self, my life of destruction, despair and darkness. He would have gone to the cross so that I could have eternal life . . . Even when I was rejecting Him, He was dying to save me.

Jesus is a giver. What do I want from Him?

I want to know that He is near.

I want to have something to give . . . something deeper and more precious and more eternal than a piece of His garment.

I want to love Him enough to share with Him in His suffering.

And I want to share my eternal life with Him.

Can you imagine yourself with me on that day when Jesus suffered? You and I are standing at the foot of the cross.

Did you just hear Him say, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

Can we do anything but run to Him?


I am reposting this as a submission for a She Speaks scholarship contest. She Speaks is a ministry of Proverbs 31 Ministries which is designed to  encourage women  who are commissioned by God to write, speak, and lead women, equipping them to become more effective leaders. Ann Voskamp , from Holy Experience has offered this possibility. I read Ann's blog which are some of the most inspiring moments of my day. Her book One Thousand Gifts is destined to be a Christian classic. Other contestants.   Please check out the other contestant's blogs. I am certain you will be blessed. Thanks for stopping by. Cheri