What are you actually living for? Not what you say matters most, but where your time, money, and energy really go. That gap between intention and reality is exactly what Lent invites us to close.

Jesus didn't mince words in Mark 8:34-38. "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me." This isn't about religious obligation or self-hatred. It's about a fundamental reorientation—shifting from "What do I want?" to "Where is God leading?" It's about being willing to be visibly different because of who you follow, even when it costs you the approval of people you want to impress.

Here's the beautiful paradox: the life you try to hoard, you lose. The life you give away for Christ's sake, you save. Jesus walked this road first—through Gethsemane, through Calvary, through the empty tomb. He knows what He's asking, and He goes with you.

Will you follow?