Simon

So I was watching the Passion of the Christ the other day. I know we all remember that movie when it came out. We all went to see it, cried a little bit, then went on our merry way.
Thats what I did anyway. I remember right after seeing it being all weird and over spiritual and wanting to do something huge for Christ. But not to long after I returned to my usual teenage self.
Well the other day when it showed up in my mailbox from Netflixs, I watched it again. I cried a little bit, but something this time caught my attention that I didn't really give much thought before. Every time I read one of the Gospels or heard the story talked about, my mind kind of skipped over it.
Simon, the guy traveling from Cyrene.
A man helped Jesus carry the cross.
Now I have always heard we need to pick up our cross and follow Jesus, I have even seen a few radicals that carry wooden crosses with wheels wherever they go. But I think there is a little bit more to it.
Jesus carried and was crucified on that cross for us, Simon helped carry that cross for Him.
What are we carrying our crosses daily for? What are we living this thing we call Christianity for? So that WE might have OUR promise WE were promised? Or are we carrying our crosses for something bigger than that, something deeper. Jesus' mission was to save us, humanity, the world. A man helped Jesus carry that cross so that it could be finished. I don't think Simon did it for himself.
Are we doing this for us, or is it so He can save the world?