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Mark Eastman

The Process for Breaking Big Things Down

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You Can Only Lay One Brick at a Time

Nothing gets done without taking action. But when there are so many big, scary things ahead of us, it can be hard to get started. Overwhelm can slam the brakes on progress. We get stuck in neutral, and nothing moves forward.

Nothing will get done if you don’t do something.

Over the past several weeks, we talked about routines, planning, and the tool for breaking big things down. Now, let’s go through the process I use to get things done.

In business, we wear a lot of hats: company organization, marketing, sales, production, operations, administration, and finance. All of these hats include their own to-do lists. No wonder we get overwhelmed and put things off.  

In a previous post, I shared how to break big things down. I explained how things start with a dream. Then they need to be taken to the next step of vision. This brings us to setting goals.

Goals are never accomplished without ACTION.

This is where we are going to focus today. And to show you how this works, I’m going to use a real example of a current remodeling project I’m working on.

This project is finishing 1,200 square feet of attic space. The customer wants it completed this year due to the house turning 100 years old this year. She plans to have a celebration of this 100th year in early December. This means the project needs to be finished by early November to be finished before the holidays. That leaves a little less than six months to have the project done.

Sounds like plenty of time, right? But we all know how fast time goes by. It’s easy to think we have plenty of time, but creating a sense of urgency now will prevent disappointment later. This is why it’s important to work backwards from the deadline, breaking it down into smaller, bite-sized pieces.

Using our Proposal System worksheet, I can see that the project will take about 14 – 15 weeks once the construction is started. That means we need to have construction started by July 1st.

Okay, that’s 6 weeks away. But wait … we still have some design issues to finalize. What kinds of doors, light fixtures, accent walls, cabinets, etc.?

So, what’s the first next thing?

The customer is concerned about price increases on the light fixtures, switch plates, and receptacle covers and wants to get them ordered as soon as possible. This makes this more important than the other questions.

Getting electrical fixtures and covers ordered is the focus.

This means we need to determine: what style of fixtures she wants and in what rooms? Are the sizes going to work? Will they work with the wiring and switching that’s there? How many different cover configurations are needed? I want to have these things done this week.

She picked the fixtures. Next step, sharing these choices with the electrician.

I did a walkthrough and list review with him, and he confirmed the customer’s choices will work. Now onto determining cover configuration and quantity.

Since the week is almost over, I need to get the electrical covers counted today. It’s now added to today’s action list, ranked in order of importance, but there are a couple of other things on today’s list that are higher priority tasks—like getting this weekly solution written. That makes this the first next thing.

It’s easy to feel stuck and overwhelmed when you don’t know what to do next.

Constructing a new building is a big project, so is running a business, or living life. Too many times, this is where we get hung up. The size of the task can paralyze us. There’s so much to do, we don’t know what to do next and then nothing gets done.

When that happens, break the big things down into smaller pieces and do the first next thing.

(Weekly solution: written ✔️ ) On to the first next thing … counting the electrical covers.

Need help breaking your own big things down into manageable steps? You can schedule a free 30-minute consultation. Let’s figure out your first next thing, together.

Jesus is the Gate and the Good Shepherd

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And Don’t Sheep (We) Need These

We’re continuing with the “I Am” statements of Jesus this week. Today is a combination of two of these. “I am the gate and the good shepherd,” John 10:1-15.

In the Bible, sheep are used to represent people quite often and there’s a good reason for this. Having been around sheep in my childhood and then raising them as an adult … I get it.

Sheep aren’t terribly smart.

David is one of those who wrote about sheep in the Bible. After all, he had some experience with sheep having been a shepherd. He knew that the sheep needed to be penned up at night and protected from wild animals and thieves.

The only way in or out of the pen was through the gate. The shepherd had to open and close it because the sheep couldn’t. The shepherd also kept watch at the gate so thieves wouldn’t open it.

In Psalm 23, David uses this experience to give us an example of how God is our Shepherd. How He leads us down the right paths to good places. When we are in dark valleys, He will protect us.

God has our back like a shepherd.

Jesus is using these same examples when He’s talking with the Pharisees in John 10:1-15. He has just given a blind man sight on the Sabbath and the church leaders are mad at Him, because it was the Sabbath (John 9).

Jesus tells the Pharisees that they are blind and missing what’s most important. He tells them their sight is worse than the blind man’s. They aren’t seeing what’s right in front of them.

He goes on to tell them, “I assure you that whoever doesn’t enter the sheep pen through the gate but climbs over the wall is a thief and an outlaw. The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The guard at the gate opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. Whenever he has gathered all of his sheep, he goes before them and they follow him, because they know his voice.” (John 10:1-5)

Jesus spoke again, “I assure you that I am the gate of the sheep. Whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief enters only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came so that they could have life—indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest.”

Shepherds were devoted to protecting their sheep. They would risk their lives. In 1 Samuel 17:33-37 when David offers to go face the giant, Saul tells him he is just a boy. David responds, “Your servant has kept his father’s sheep, and if ever a lion or a bear came and carried off one of the flock, I would go after it, strike it, and rescue the animal from its mouth. If it turned on me, I would grab it at its jaw, strike it, and kill it. Your servant has fought both lions and bears. This uncircumcised Philistine will be just like one of them because he has insulted the army of the living God. The Lord, who rescued me from the power of both lions and bears, will rescue me from the power of this Philistine.”

Jesus is our Gate and Shepherd.

Sheep do stupid things and so do we. So, follow the Good Shepherd.

How Do I Get From Here to There?

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Understanding Your Life’s GPS and Finding Direction

A friend and I were recently discussing the sense of overwhelm and out-of-control feeling that we were both experiencing. There are so many worthwhile, valuable  things pulling at our attention. How will I ever get them all done?

My to-do list is so long there’s not enough time to read it…let alone do it.

I’m tired of being stuck in this rut. I want a way out.

Some of the things on our lists, like classes and training, should be helpful. But too often, they just end up feeling like more things to check off.

Most of us want a clearer direction, but we’re not sure what that even looks like.

Since our discussion, I’ve been thinking and studying about how we can achieve our goals. It became clear that almost every approach to goal setting is essentially the same. Sure, there are small, nuanced differences, but they’re really all the same at their core.

Funny thing is, sometimes we need to hear the same thing several times before it resonates with us. Who knows why? Maybe it’s the speaker, or the form of presentation, or maybe it’s just timing, who knows? But suddenly, it lands.

This happened to me recently when I was going through Mark Shinnerer’s, Vision Building course. He compares creating a life plan to using a GPS. There really are a lot of similarities between the two.

One thing that’s critical to achieving goals is prioritization.

This is one of the things I struggle with most. When I’m staring at that mountain of important, worthwhile tasks…where do I even start? This indecision is where momentum gets lost.

Think about it like this: when going from here to there, using a GPS (Global Positioning System) we start by entering a destination. From there, it gives us some optional routes. In life, we need something similar. We need to use a Goal Prioritization System. This system will help us determine the path we will take to reach our purpose destination.

Here are some GPS similarities:

  • Determine where you want to go before you start. – Knowing where you want to go will make the trip more productive. That doesn’t mean that you can’t change the destination later, but frequent detours will slow your progress.
  • Choose which of the routes you’re going to take. – There are options: fast and direct, scenic and slow? There’s no right or wrong answer, just choose a path and get started. As you are on your way you can change your mind, and the GPS will reroute you.
  • Unexpected things out of your control will happen. – You may encounter road work, traffic, or a flat tire. These things require some adjustment to your schedule and/or possibly your route. Remember, some things are out of your control, but how you respond to them isn’t.
  • Unplanned things that will be in your control. – When en route, you may encounter scenic stops. Or you might come across someone else who’s in trouble on their journey. Stopping or not is a choice you get to make, just be intentional.

Once you have a clear vision of your destination, it’s up to you to get in gear and step on the gas. Otherwise, you will just sit in neutral, stuck in place, thinking about what might have been.

Because one thing is for sure:

If you don’t move forward, you will never reach your destination.

Jesus is the Bread of Life

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Bread is Important to Sustaining Life

The Guinness World Record for the longest loaf of bread is 3,975 feet long and was baked for 59:30 hours. Starting on July 7th, 2005 at 8:00 PM and finishing on July 10th at 7:30 AM. It takes 9 minutes for a combine to harvest enough wheat to make 70 loaves of bread. France bakes around 6,000 baguettes per year. There are a lot of different kinds of bread. On average, each American consumes approximately 53 pounds of bread annually. Germany consumes the most bread per capita.

Bread is an important part of almost every culture. Breaking bread together and sharing a meal is one of the best ways for fellowship. We are all so busy, but we need to slow down periodically to eat. Sharing a meal is a great opportunity to connect with others.

In John 6:1-15, a large crowd of people was following Jesus because they had previously witnessed Him miraculously healing the sick. He then fed thousands of people with 5 loaves and 2 fish with 12 baskets left over. Another miracle.

This was at the time of the Passover, which involved unleavened bread to commemorate when the Jews left Egypt and didn’t have time to wait for bread to rise. This included removing all yeast from their homes.

Yeast is a microorganism used to make bread rise. A small amount will spread throughout the dough.

Like yeast, sin can spread through our lives.

While the Jews were in the wilderness they received manna daily. This was their daily allotment of bread. They were told to only collect what they needed for each day, but some gathered more than they needed. When they did this, it would spoil and go bad. This was to teach them to depend on God and not be greedy.

We need to trust God to provide and not be greedy.

After Jesus fed the thousands, He could tell that the people wanted Him to be their king and rescue them from their Roman oppression. So, he went away from the crowd, to be alone. (John 6:16-21)

While He was gone his disciples got in boats to cross the lake to Capernaum. He hadn’t shown up yet and the wind came up and blew the boats out into the lake. Then Jesus appeared, walking on the water as they reached the other shore. (John 6:16-21)

The next day the crowd realized that the disciples were gone, and Jesus hadn’t been in the boat when they left. When they couldn’t find Jesus or His disciples they went across to Capernaum looking for them. (John 6:22-24)

When they found Jesus on the other side they had some questions for Him.

“When did You get here?”

He answered them, “I assure you that you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate all the food you wanted. Don’t work for the food that doesn’t last but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Human One will give you. God the Father has confirmed him as his agent to give life.” (John 6:25-27)

“What must we do to accomplish what God requires?”

“This is what God requires, that you believe in him whom God sent.” (John 6:29)

“What miracles are You going to perform? What will You do next? Our ancestors were given manna in the wilderness. It is written; He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”

“I assure you, it wasn’t Moses who gave the bread from heaven to you, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. The bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:32-33)

“How can we have this bread always?”

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)

The people wanted Jesus to solve all their problems. They were impatient and didn’t like Jesus’ answers. They were looking for worldly fulfillment.

Belief is more than explanation. It requires faith.

Like yeast can permeate dough, sin can take over our lives.

Don’t let it.

We are given what we need every day if we just look up and pay attention. We need to be careful not to become overly expectant and greedy in our expectations.

Jesus is the bread of life every day.

The Tool for Breaking Big Things Down 

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Taking the First Next Step 

Building and running a successful business is a big undertaking. It can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Last week we talked about breaking big things down into small pieces. We discussed the process of accomplishing big dreams by starting with the first, next thing.  

Nothing gets done if you don’t do something.  

A construction project is a big thing made up of a lot of different smaller things. Things need to be done in the right order, or the project will fall apart, or won’t be what it was intended to be.  

Building a business is no different. The question is…  

How do you manage all the little things?  

It can be hard to know where to start or what to do first. Having a system helps. My process may not work for everyone, but how’s what you’re doing now working? 

I’m going to give you an example of how I prioritize and manage my day. 

Previously, I shared how I use my computer to remind me of things on the “To-Do” list and calendar that need to be done. This list can be rather long, and I can’t do it all at once. I can choose which thing I’m going to do and when. The question is determining what gets done first and why. 

Let’s use today as an example.  

When I opened the computer this morning there were twenty or thirty reminders that came up. Before I dug into the list I did the first thing first. I read my Bible and prayed. Next, I journaled and got ready to go. Then I remind myself of who I am and what my mission is. I checked these things off the list.  

Now it’s time to start planning the day. This is where things can get overwhelming, when there are so many things to do. There’s production, administration, finances, proposals, and marketing. These are just business things and don’t include church, family, community, hobbies, etc. In all these different areas, there are several hundred things.  

I can’t do them all today. 

What makes one thing more important than another? 

Sometimes it involves honoring other people’s time or meetings that have been scheduled. Maybe it is something that has a deadline. It could be that it is critical to reaching an important goal. 

Back to the reminder list. 

Looking through the list, there are some reminders that are things two weeks in the future. I don’t need to do anything about those today. I will cut the reminders in half and reset it to a week before. This reduces the list by four or five. 

Now there are reminders for a week. I cut those to four days and reduced the list by a couple more. Reminders for four days get cut to two days. Reminders for two days get cut to one. Now the list is half as long and things that need to be dealt with today. 

These ten or fifteen things can be things that are small and can be dealt with quickly or maybe bigger things that are going to require more time. The bigger things will get reminders accordingly, maybe two or four hours. The small things may have a reminder for five minutes. 

As the five-minute reminders come up, those things get checked off the list.  

Okay, as I’m trying to finish this post my list of reminders just came up with sixteen reminders. They include daily reviews that need to be checked to see if they got done, a reminder that it’s time to go home, a couple of reminders for an event tomorrow that needs to be followed up on.  

I better go deal with these reminders. 

If you would like to know more about how I use the reminders to get things done schedule a free 30-minute consultation. 

Jesus is the Light of the World

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And We Need All the Light We Can Get

The number seven is throughout the Bible. John used seven a lot of different times in his Gospel. One of those sevens, is the seven “I Am” statements. These seven statements from Jesus are:

  1. I am the bread of life (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51)
  2. I am the light of the world (John 8:12; 9:5)
  3. I am the door (John 10:7, 9)
  4. I am the good shepherd (John 10:11, 14)
  5. I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25)
  6. I am the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6)
  7. I am the vine (John 15:1, 5)

This week we’re going to focus on Jesus being the light of the world.

In John 7:1-2, it is time for the Festival of the Tabernacles. This is a Jewish holiday that lasts for seven days and is a time for giving thanks for the harvest and remembering the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness after leaving Egypt. During the holiday, many Jews build and dwell in temporary, outdoor structures called sukkot, which are meant to remind them of the Israelites’ temporary dwellings during their wilderness journey.

A part of the Festival of the Tabernacles was the celebration of light. So that people outside the temple could celebrate too. This was accomplished by lighting fires in bowls filled with oil on top of tall 30′-40′ poles. These poles would light the whole city.

It serves as a reminder of the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, and hope over despair. By understanding the history and traditions associated with this festival, we can gain insight into how to navigate our own lives with faith, courage, and perseverance.

Like the number seven, light is also prevalent in the Bible. The Book of John starts out quoting Genesis:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man named John who was sent from God. He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was created through Him, yet the world did not recognize Him.” John 1:1-10

Think of how dark it would have been two thousand years ago before electricity. The world needed light. The fires on the poles gave light, but it was not THE LIGHT. The world today needs THE LIGHT.

A great example of light and how it works is the sun, moon, and earth. The earth revolves around the sun and the moon revolves around the earth. The sun is the source of our natural light. Neither the earth nor the moon creates any light. The moon’s light is a reflection of the sun’s light. A full moon is really bright and lights things up.

Jesus is our “Son” and the source of our spiritual light. When we are full, we can share the light of the Son and brighten people’s dark lives.

Jesus is the LIGHT of the world, and we should reflect that light.

Breaking Big Things Down into Small Pieces

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What’s the First Next Step?

We’ve been talking a lot about routines over the past several weeks. Like most things, it sounds great, but where to start? There’s already too much to do and not enough time. There’s no room on the list to add anything else.

No one ever said building a successful business would be easy. If they did … they lied.

Operating a business requires a lot. With so much to do, it’s common to get overwhelmed. My intent with today’s post is to help you manage that stress.

You’ve probably heard the saying, eat the elephant one bite at a time. This is a common idiom for breaking a large, daunting project down into smaller, more manageable pieces. By focusing on one small step at a time, you can avoid feeling overwhelmed.

I have a couple of sayings that I use to represent the elephant idiom from more of a construction perspective. One is to build the wall one brick at a time. Another is to move the mountain one shovel full at a time. Construction projects require a lot of pieces and actions to complete. They need to be broken down into smaller pieces.

Breaking big things down sounds easy enough, but it takes intentional action.

The other thing that can be discouraging is when big dreams don’t happen. When they don’t become reality, we give up. This is what happened to me. After working for years to accomplish my dream and it didn’t happen … I gave up. I concluded that I must have been wrong about this dream.

Then God got my attention with a board upside the head. Since then, I have been reading and learning. Continuing to build my business and my life one piece at a time. Don’t be afraid to dream big (Mark 11:23-24) because nothing is impossible for God (Luke 1:37).

Last week in the list of my daily planning, one of the things was Breaking Big Things Down into Smaller Pieces. Building a business or a life is like constructing a building.

Building starts by DREAMING – Dreams are big, vague things. We can see them in our head. This is where great things start. It is important to align these dreams with God, the Architect of our lives.

VISION is the next step – This is where the big picture of the dream begins to take shape. It’s like a blueprint. It’s where things can be tested to see if the dream is possible and how the pieces will fit together.

Now we need to set some GOALS – It’s been determined that the dream can be built. Now we need to set some goals. When do we want to have it completed? Based on this, when do we need to start? What is the budget? What’s it going to cost?

Nothing gets done without ACTION – This is where the rubber meets the road. Dreams are not accomplished without taking action. If anything is going to get done … we have to DO SOMETHING.

RESULTS are the dream becoming reality – This is where the hard work and planning come together. This doesn’t mean that the result is exactly what the original dream was. What it does mean is that if we had nothing, nothing is what we would have.

Start with DREAMS, turn those dreams into VISIONS, turn those visions into GOALS. A goal is a bite-sized vision. And a vision that is ready to go to work is a goal.

Big dreams can be overwhelming. Daily operations of a business can be overwhelming.

It’s important to do something. Take action.

It helps me if I focus on the FIRST NEXT THING. What is the one thing that I need to do first? I have a list that I go through as part of my routine:

  1. Start with prayer
  2. Get off my “BUT”, stop making excuses
  3. Put it on the calendar
  4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help (delegation / accountability / education)
  5. Take goals seriously (create a sense of urgency early)
  6. Maintain positive forward momentum
  7. Celebrate wins
  8. Don’t overthink it
  9. Break the goals down into brick size pieces
  10. Make goals about giving and not about getting
  11. Review progress regularly, and be accountable

This list helps keep me motivated. It reminds me to prioritize things and to focus on the first next thing that needs done.

Your list can be different. The important thing is to have a process or system to help you to break big things down into smaller pieces.

Focusing on one brick at a time is the way a big wall gets built.

The Greatest Joy

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Mary Finds the Tomb Empty

This past Sunday was Easter. The celebration of the resurrection of Jesus.

In John 20:1-10, Mary Magdalene goes to Jesus’ tomb and finds the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. She assumes someone has stolen the body and ran to tell the disciples. Peter and John go back to the tomb with her. They find the cloth that the body had been wrapped in lying there.

After all they had experienced, they still didn’t understand that Jesus must rise from the dead.

The disciples left, but Mary stayed. She was crying outside the tomb when she saw Jesus. He told her to go tell the others. She went and told them that she had seen the Lord. (John 20:11-18)

After His resurrection, He was seen several different times. On the road to Emaus, in the room with the disciples, then again so Thomas could see and believe, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and to multiple others.

The resurrected Jesus has a physical body. He eats with the disciples. Thomas touches the scars. People recognize Him. Jesus had a perfect body, scars and all.

After all that we know, do we understand who Jesus is?

The evidence is there if we chose to believe.

Our earthly bodies are less than perfect. In addition to our physical flaws, we have a big God-shaped hole, smack dab in the middle. The first step to a perfect, heavenly body is to fill this hole by accepting the gift Jesus gave us when He died on the cross.

Jesus will fill that God-shaped hole, making us whole.

The greatest joy will be our own empty tomb if we have a perfect body for eternity in Heaven. This is a choice. I hope you make the right one.

What Does Daily Life Planning Look Like?

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And How It Fits in My Morning Routine

We’ve been discussing routines and how they help us get more done. How reading and learning is a big part of developing a good routine. And how I use journaling. Last week it was daily planning.

The first thing on Daily Planning is reviewing my Weekly Life Plan. That’s what we’ll go over this week.

What is a Life Plan?

A life plan is pretty much what it sounds like … it’s a plan for your life. This plan is going to look different for everyone, because we are all different after all.

My life plan is made up of the dreams and goals I want to accomplish in my life. Each year I review them and put together a plan of what needs to be done this year to keep me on track. I then break those annual goals down into quarterly, monthly, and weekly actions to achieve my goals.

The Weekly Life Plan is then reviewed daily.

Reviewing this helps me to get my day started off focused on who I am and what my mission is. It breaks the big goals down into small pieces that need done today.

Last week, I talked about how I do this by opening a scheduled event on my computer calendar. In the note section of that event, there is a list of things to do. Some of those have links to a OneNote page.

Here’s what Daily Life Planning includes –

  • Word of the Year – Reminder of what my word of the year is and its accompanying theme.
  • Current Decision of the Seven Decisions – This a one-line reminder of the current decision that I’m reading through.
  • My Why or Purpose – This is what I’ve been put here to do.
  • My Mission – This is what I’m supposed to do with my life, based on my purpose.
  • My Vision – This is the larger picture: seven years in the future.
  • My Core Values – These are the twelve values that are the foundation my life is built on. I read through the list to remind myself what they are.
  • Life Principles – These are overviews of the Seven Decisions from Andy Andrews book, The Traveler’s Gift. And the twelve principles from the book, The Legend of the Monk and the Merchant by Terry Felber.
  • Breaking Big Things Down into Smaller Pieces – This is to once again to remind me that big things can be accomplished, but not all at once.
  • First Next Step – This helps me to focus on the next thing that needs done.
  • Weekly Results – A checklist of the things that need to be done this week in the different areas of life.
  • Someday Goals – These are the big dreams I have for the future. This is a list of things that can be done to keep me moving forward toward these big goals. Some are really, really big.

These are the big things on the daily planning list. It is more of a perspective and direction for the day. The rest of the things are more specific to the actions that need to be done today to stay on track for the week.

If you would like to see what my daily life plan looks like or would like a template to you can create your own, click on the download links below. If you have questions about life planning and how to incorporate it into your routine schedule a free 30-minute consultation.

Mark’s Daily Life PlanDownload
Daily Life Plan TemplateDownload

We All Have Crosses to Bear

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Life is Full of Heavy Crosses

Life is hard. There are all sorts of trials and tribulations that we go through. None of these crosses are as heavy as the one Jesus carried.

These past several weeks we been going through Jesus’ final week, and what a week it was. He went from being celebrated as a king, to being crucified on a cross. He was betrayed by one of His followers. The people who had celebrated Him, turned on Him.

This was a lot to carry, to say the least.

The Roman soldiers mocked and belittled Him. Pretending to salute Him as they dressed Him in a purple robe and placed a crown of thorns on His head. All the while beating and whipping Him. (Mark 15:16-20)

Next, He was made to carry the heavy cross that He was going to be hung on. Some say that it was just the cross bar that he had to carry. It is estimated that it would have weighed 75 – 100 lbs. This He would carry after being beaten and physically exhausted.

He struggled to carry this heavy load up hill to where He knew what was coming. The soldiers then forced a man, Simon from Cyrene, who was passing by to carry the cross for Him. There they hung Him on the cross to die. (Mark 15:21-32) Carrying the weight of the world’s sin as He hung there.

Crucifixion was an excruciatingly painful way to die, physically, mentally, and spiritually. This would have been even more so for Jesus.

He chose to carry this heavy burden for us.

We all have crosses to bear. They won’t be as heavy as the load Jesus carried. But they still can be heavy, whatever those crosses are. It’s important to be willing to carry our crosses.

Like Simon, we are called to help others carry their crosses.

It can seem pointless to carry these crosses. Life shouldn’t be this hard. Why even bother?

But the cross isn’t the end. There’s more after the cross. The tomb is not the end of the story.

Pick up your cross, help others with theirs, and push forward to celebration beyond the tomb.