I am going to tell you about a topic I have thought about more and more since being here at Principia. I want you to put your Sunday School hats on, because we are going to look at something from the Bible for a moment.

This passage is from the Gospel of Mark: “When [Jesus] had gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, ‘Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? ' ” Jesus answers him, “Do you know the commandments?”

The man says yes, then lists a few of the commandments and says that he has followed them from his youth. But Jesus replies, “One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor — and come, take up the cross, and follow me.”

I'm going to focus on the idea of taking up the cross. I believe it to be a big part of discipleship and plain Christian living. Taking up the cross means sacrificing our earthly comforts in order to work God's work. That doesn't mean we have to give up everything we own, but it does mean we should think more deeply about what we truly treasure.

Do we most treasure earthly belongings or a deep relationship with God? “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,” Jesus says. If we treasure earthly things, we can't have a very meaningful relationship with the Divine. If we were to lose everything we owned, would we still have an undying conviction that God is good and will provide?

That conviction is what constitutes truly living. It is a challenging thing though. I don't think I can name one Bible character of note who didn't have a challenging life. But, as I have learned from a few of my religion classes here, following God doesn't mean that we are going to have an easy, carefree life. What it does mean is that we know where to turn when things get rough.

No one necessarily likes to go through hard times. But if life were easy, would we grow? Would we get to know God? Striving to know God better is a part of taking up the cross. Tough experiences force us to lay down self-will, take up the cross, and follow God's direction.

I took a math class a couple of years ago called differential equations. This class was one of the most difficult classes I've ever taken. I spent hours every night on my homework, which I didn't do too well usually. In the end, it wasn't the grade that mattered; it was what I learned. And I learned much more than how to do difficult mathematics.

I remember one particular evening when I was doing my math homework late into the night. I was stuck on the first problem of the assignment. I went through the thing over and over again, each time getting the incorrect answer. My sense of frustration escalated. I was sweating profusely and re-erasing the paper that I had erased numerous times already. In my vigorous erasing I tore the paper.

There have been only a few other times in my life when I have been so completely enraged and felt such a sense of desperation. I was on the verge of tears. It didn't help that I was feeling mediocre in all avenues of my life at that point: academically, athletically, musically, socially, and spiritually.

I felt pulled from all sides. I wanted to be well rounded, but in doing so I didn't leave time for myself, or really for God. So I decided to stop doing math for the night. I didn't go to bed and sleep off my frustration and depression. I decided to take up the cross. I decided to pray and devote time to God.

I was led to make a list of things I was grateful for. And I decided I would keep going until I got to 100 things for which I was grateful. I listed things like my family and friends. I was writing down my favorite hymns and sports I play. I got to about 50 and was really straining to get any more.

I got up to about 80, and I was putting down pretty trite things, like the sun and trees. When I got to number 100, I wanted this one to be good. I thought about it for a while, and thought about it for a little more. And then I realized what I was grateful for. I was grateful for me. I was grateful that God had created me, and I was grateful for who I was. I knew then that I could rely on God's guidance for anything and everything in my life — from solving a differential equation to solving a relationship problem.

There are times when you feel so inspired and loved by God that you just want to cry. It apparently was one of those times for me, because I was so filled with joy, comfort, and inspiration that I just smiled from ear to ear with tears running down my face. It was a huge moment in my life. To know that no matter how circumstances may seem, God is right there with me. By embracing the challenges we face, we learn to be led by God.

In taking up the cross, we might be tempted to stay within the bounds of comfort, to not excel in life, to feel comfortable going through the motions and living in mediocrity. We should denounce those suggestions, because suggestions surely don't come from God. In closing: Fling ease and self away. Take up the cross and change your life. And, while you're at it, change the world.