She survived the holocaust because her family helped the Jews. Due to an act of God that came as a clerical error, she escaped a week before the total extermination of all women and children.

One day a group of young people came to her and asked,

“What is the key to brokenness?”

Her reply?

“Lose your life for Jesus’ sake. It seems that you lost it, but you gain it.” (The Five Silent Years, pg 86).

The key to brokenness is losing your life for Jesus’ sake??

That’s not something you are going to hear very often.

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?  For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.  But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

What does it mean to lose your life? What does it look like to take up your cross?

I can tell you what it doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean that God’s will and plan for your life is to make you rich and famous and give you a life of ease and comfort. The cross was the place of suffering, pure and simple.

Nor does it mean we always act in “wisdom.” It seems more disobedience has been done in the name of “wisdom” than many other things.

We are not here to find our lives. We are here to lose them…for the name of Jesus.

That means embracing suffering.

It means being willing to lay down our life for Jesus.

It means even to see the lens of brokenness through the redemption that takes place at the cross.

The truth is we are comfort seekers. In fact, this is how we operate as humans. If we feel discomfort in our stomachs, we eat. If we feel discomfort in our levels of tiredness, we sleep. If we feel discomfort about our financial situation, we work.

It really comes down to what makes us the least uncomfortable.

If disobedience to Jesus brings us the most discomfort of anything, then anything else uncomfortable in this life will feel less. Because of that Jesus will get first place. And the result is a life lived for Jesus.