Went Hot Tubbin With God!

I really enjoy our hot tub. We have had it for seven years now! We bought it initially to help with Joan's back pain, but now that that is mostly gone...
I often am in the hot tub by myself. Usually about an hour before I leave for work. The night is dark and the stars are out and recently I have been enjoying praying or just marveling at Gods handiwork; The heavens! How awesome are his works. The other night as I was listening to God, he impressed upon my mind the the work of the cross that His Son Jesus bore. It was a small secret He imparted to me but as I thought about it, I think the Holy Spirit began to expand upon the idea.
At first I had a mental visualization of Jesus carrying His cross up the hill to Calgary. I thought of the burden it must have been. Jesus was beaten and harassed and exhausted as he tried to carry that heavy load. He stumbled and fell and needed help to carry His cross all the way up the hill.
My first thoughts of enlightenment had to do with the weight of the burden. How heavy is my cross to bear? How heavy is your cross to bear? How long has it been a burden? Are you exhausted by the length of enduring that burden? Has it beaten you down? Do you have scars from it?
Jesus' cross was not truly his to bear. He bore it for all of us. Wow! (All this is hitting me as I am alone in the hot tub)
As I pondered these thoughts, more kept flooding me. Thoughts like... Jesus had help carrying His cross. He did not ask for help, but was assigned help. Jesus was not too proud to accept the help offered though. Many of us, as we try to carry our cross are too proud or too ashamed to ask for help. Often times others see us struggling with our burden and offer help but we deny them. Jesus did not deny the offer of help, why do we?
Jesus did not want to carry this burden. He asked God His Father to take this cup from Him. But He also said, "Your will, be done, not Mine." This was humbleness. Jesus took up the cross while not deserving it, He endured the cross while despising the shame of it.
We need to humble ourselves. Like Jesus, we need to intentionally take up our cross whatever it might be, and ask for help to endure it daily.
Some of us have a sexual cross to bear. Others might be homosexual, blaming past childhood problems for the way they are, blaming society. Or they blame God and say "I was born this way." It really doesn't matter how or why you are the way you are. It is your cross to bear. Maybe you are prideful, or a thief, or???
We are told to deny ourselves, and take up our cross daily to follow Jesus.Luke 9:23-24 and Mark 8:34-35.
It will be a lifelong burden, but you needn't bear it alone.
Well, that was a hot tub experience to remember!