Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” —Matthew 16:24

I was once told a story in which Jesus came to a small child who had a favorite stuffed animal. The stuffed animal was old and small. It was missing an eye, with some stuffing falling out where one or two of the seams had ripped over the years. But the child loved it.

Jesus said, “Trust me. Give me your toy. I have something better for you.” But the child held tight to the toy. He didn’t know that Jesus had a wonderful gift prepared for him that he could only hold if he let go of the stuffed animal.

I’ve gotta say, I don’t handle letting go very well. Letting go of my plans. Of my expectations. Of my desires. I’m more likely to white-knuckle whatever hope or dream or erroneous feeling of control I’m clinging to than to hand it over to Jesus because to do so feels like a loss. There’s grief in it that I’m often not willing to face.

If I hang onto the dream, it feels like I can still make it come true through sheer willpower. There’s still hope! But I’m sure we all hear the problem with that sentence as soon as we read it.

Why We Cling to Control Instead of Surrendering to God

No matter how much I would like to have the power to make my dreams my reality, if it’s not what God has planned for me, no amount of willpower will make it a reality. Not to mention that relying on my own fleshly strength rather than turning to God and relying on Him is also the opposite of what we’re told to do in Scripture.

And that brings me to today’s verse. It’s one I rarely think of in reference to the daily life of a Christian. Normally, I think of this verse on a grander scale. As if it were just a metaphor for what happens at salvation or a vague figurative description of the pattern of Christian life over the course of years and decades.

What Does ‘Take Up Your Cross’ Really Mean in Matthew 16:24?

But as I reflected on the story of that boy, I couldn’t help but see this verse differently.

On a very literal level, to pick up our cross, we have to lay something down first. And the thing they had to deny or lay down was the self.

It’s an interesting—and challenging—exchange. To deny ourselves in the original language didn’t just mean to acknowledge that we may not get what we want. It was more like disowning our personal judgments, dreams, and our trust in our own strength. And the trade? A cross? How does that make sense?

The Real Gift: Surrendering Your Dreams to Jesus

It’s hard to believe that giving up our raggedy hopes and dreams will be worth it. It’s scary. But if we look closely, the real thing we get in return for this trade, the real gift that is big enough to erase the pain of the sacrifice we have to make, is Him.

He’s the gift. When we lay down the clamor of all the things we’re striving for, it may hurt, yes, but we get the blessing of walking with Him and hearing His voice. The hurdles and barriers are removed, and we can commune with the Lover of our souls.

So let’s take inventory. Let’s open the door for God to show us what we’re hanging onto that He needs us to let go of. And let’s do it. Let’s drop everything that’s holding us back from enjoying a deeper relationship with the One who satisfies our souls and jump in!