You know I keep it Raw & Real, so I would do no less with the upcoming Labor Day holiday.
While you're sitting back relaxing, enjoying that extra day off grubbing on some perfectly marinated Carolina Sweet ribs or that mac & cheese with the buttery-crisp, golden brown edge...ponder for a moment or two the laborious task Christ completed for us. Let's peel back Christ's walk from the praetorium, where he was flogged, to Golgotha, where he was nailed to a wooden cross...for us. The path believed to be walked by Christ is called the Via Dolorosa, latin for "Way of Grief" or "Way of Suffering". It is about 2000 feet (which is roughly about 7-8 city blocks) from the place where Christ was sentenced to be crucified to Mount Calvary or Golgotha, which means "skull".
There are 14 "stations" somewhat like milestones, if you will, that supposedly mark specific moments during Christ's walk to Calvary. Some mark when He received His cross to bear (Station 2) or when Simon the Cyrenian assisted Him with His cross (Station 5) and so on. Regardless if this is in fact the actual path our Savior walked to save us, He DID for a fact walk some path, some road, some trail on a journey to the cross on Calvary for redemption for us. He walked and perhaps stumbled and fell on a dirt road; lined with haters and nay-sayers. Have you ever stopped to ponder what our LORD actually LABORED on His way to the cross?
Those "stations" along the Via Dolorosa may just be actual markers Christ
labored on the road to Calvary and they may just be like some stops along our own way today as we travel on our journey with Christ.
He endured people mocking Him.
He withstood people throwing stones at Him.
He tolerated when people spat on Him.
His body was battered, bruised, bloodied and in unimaginable pain.
He fell down on his bruised and bloodied knees on His journey of redemption for us.
Can you imagine...after suffering a severe and massive scourging, having coiled thorns pressed into your skull; to be subjected to carrying a wooden object (that could have possibly been in excess of 100-150 pounds) across your freshly wounded back for 7-8 blocks? This passionate act was truly a Labor of Love. What can we learn from Jesus' walk along the Via Dolorosa?
"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him," Colossians 2:6
On our own paths or Via Dolorosas on our journey with Christ; we may be ridiculed by people we thought were our friends and family. We may be mocked by those we work alongside. We may be tormented by past sins. Our bodies may have been battered by a "loved one", bruised by past hurts and bloodied by self-destruction. But as Christ kept His focus on WHY He was on this journey, so must we keep our focus ON Him. Amen? Now, I know you were wondering, "why in the world did she bold-face ALL the labor words?" You know me and my geekness for words...Labor: noun la·bor \ˈlā-bər\ - a: expenditure of physical or mental effort especially when difficult or compulsory.
