How Do I Carry My Cross and Follow Jesus?

What does Jesus expect of me when he tells me to take up my cross and follow him? What did he show by carrying his cross? I think it means he showed his love for me who was his enemy, hostile to God and deserving of whatever I had coming to me. So then should I not follow his example to love those who are unloving to me? Perhaps 1 Cor 13 would be a good way to describe cross-bearing for Christ.

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but do not take up my cross and follow Jesus, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not take up my cross and follow Jesus, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but do not take up my cross and follow Jesus, I gain nothing.

Taking up my cross and following Jesus means being patient and being kind. To take up my cross and follow Jesus means I will not envy, I will not boast, I will not be proud. I will not be rude, I will not be self-seeking, I will not be easily angered, and I will keep no record of wrongs. To take up my cross and follow Jesus means I do not delight in evil but rejoice with the truth. To take up my cross and follow Jesus means I will always protect, always trust, always hope, and always persevere.”

Its easy to say but so hard to do all the time. That is why I praise Jesus that he accepts me totally and unconditionally, even when I fail him.