Marvin J. Ashton on carrying our own cross

Elder Marvin J. Ashton (1915-1994) served as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles from 1971 until his death in 1994 at age 78.

"My message to you this day is take up your cross. Take yourself the way you are and lift yourself in the direction of the better. Regardless of where you have been, what you have done, or what you haven't done, trust God, believe on him, relate to him, worship him as you carry your cross with dignity and determination.

"We save our lives by losing them for his sake. As you find yourself, you will find God. This is true. I declare that to you. It is his promise. Take up the real cross of Jesus Christ.

"What kind of cross do you bear? What is its shape, weight, size, or dimension? We all have them. Some are very visible, while others are not always evident.... Some crosses we bear are these (maybe you will relate to one or more): the cross of loneliness; the cross of physical limitations—the loss of a leg, an arm, hearing, seeing, mobility—obvious crosses (we see people with these crosses and admire their strength in carrying them with dignity); the cross of poor health; the cross of transgression; the cross of success; the cross of temptation; the cross of beauty, fame, or wealth; the cross of financial burdens; the cross of criticism; the cross of peer rejection....

"It is a fact of life that God can make our crosses easier to bear if we are but willing to admit we have them and then seek his help....

"There is an aid, there is a strength, there is a power when we count our blessings as we labor under crosses that sometimes seem unreasonable and unfair but that can be for our good and for our strength. I bear special witness to you that carrying our crosses and following our Lord will bring strength, peace, and purpose in our quest for the abundant life. God has made this promise. Carry your crosses with strength, with purpose, and while you do, count the blessings of God's strength."

- Marvin J. Ashton, "Carry Your Cross," BYU Fireside, May 3, 1987
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We all bear some kind of "cross" in this life—a burden placed on us, sometimes by others and sometimes by our own actions, that we must carry in life. Some are heavy and some are light; some are visible and some are unseen. I was fascinated by this sample list Elder Ashton provided:

• loneliness
• physical limitations—the loss of a leg, an arm, hearing, seeing, mobility—obvious crosses
• poor health
• transgression
• success
• temptation
• beauty, fame, or wealth
• financial burdens
• criticism
• peer rejection

It's interesting that some of those crosses are things we generally consider as positive things (success, beauty, wealth) but they too can be burdens to carry.

The powerful message Elder Ashton shares is this: "God can make our crosses easier to bear if we are but willing to admit we have them and then seek his help." We might each benefit from doing a personal inventory to identify what might be our personal crosses, so we can then invite His help in carrying them. As we move forward with the burdens we bear, we will be able to witness God's help and will be blessed with "strength, peace, and purpose in our quest for the abundant life."