I was interacting with a social media group and there was a discussion about symbols. Specifically, the discussion was about the Christian cross. In the discussion, there were many people of different faiths and who were walking many different life paths. They all viewed the cross in a different way. There is no one correct way to view the cross. It means whatever it means to each of us.
The discussion did make me think about a sticky subject that has to do with the first part of the greatest commandment. It’s that part of loving God above all others. I really do love the idea of the symbol of the cross. That symbol gives me comfort. During the lowest times in my life, when I looked at the cross it reminded me that there was always hope and more importantly, it reminded me that I was never alone because God is always with me.
However, there’s a danger in loving the cross or any religious or secular symbol. That’s where things get sticky. I have to keep in mind that the cross is just a symbol. It is an object that truly has no real meaning except the meaning that I assign to it. At the very heart of the matter, I can take any two straight pieces of material and form them into an “X”, and I will be able to make a cross. That still doesn’t imbue the material with any special power. It isn’t the cross that is special; it’s what the cross represents that is special. For me, that cross reminds me of my relationship with God. I don’t look at the cross for a replacement for God, I look at the cross to remember that God is here and to keep Him every present in my mind and heart. If a cross ever started to become more important to me than God, it would be something I would want to throw away. I would want it out of my life because I don’t want anything to have more power in my life than God. No symbol, not anything can have more power than the power of God. If it does, then like the Bible suggests cutting off the hand that offends, I would cut the offensive thing and throw it away forever. For keeping God as the center of my life is more important than anything.
My faith saved me. May God’s peace reside in all of our hearts.
