On Carrying the Cross

I have recently been presented with a new angle from which to view 'carrying the cross.' In the past, I've always assumed that carrying my cross would be something that is difficult for me. After all, a cross is heavy and somewhat awkward, isn't it? But enter something else into the conversation:

While crosses are big, they can't be hard to carry, because Jesus has promised to help us along the way. In fact, carrying our crosses can take very little effort on our part. But...

They are big... which means other people can see them. By just glancing at us, anyone can see that we're carrying the cross, and that means we might have to answer for it. Then, they might ridicule us because we're walking around with this big thing that seems to be getting in our way.

Then, we have to ask ourselves: do we want to be seen walking around with this cross or will we only carry it around other people who carry theirs as well? Read: are we willing to live our lives in constant witness or do we save our 'christianness' for those who are already christians?

So carrying the cross is not a question of whether or not we're able to do it, but whether or not we're willing.