Taking up the cross

Have you ever heard a tune and it has stuck in you mind all day and you have hummed it, whistled it, or even sung the words and some times it is a child song that can become very annoying or other times it brings back memories of days past. Today the words "take up your cross and follow Jesus take up your cross every day" was the words that I sung all day long sometime out loud (when know one was around) and other times just to myself. So what does it mean to take up your cross and follow Jesus. In Matthew 8:18-22 Jesus talks about the cost of following him and at times we use excuses to not follow just as these did that came to Jesus. If we look at the passage that follows Matthew 8:18-22 we see that Jesus and the disciples face a storm tossed lake. God's word tells us that Jesus got into the boat and the disciples followed, Jesus knew the storm would hit but he moved out anyway across the lake. The disciple followed in ultimate faith and and when the storm hit they witness his power to calm the storm. But God does not always calm the storm but he calms his child. So to get back to the question what does take up your cross and follow Jesus mean to me. There will be and have been storms in my life and at times Jesus has calmed the storm and other time he had to calm this very frighten child of God. For me to take up my cross means no matter what to follow Jesus into the storm or where ever it may be. It is not about me it is all about Jesus, it is not about what I want but what Jesus wants, it is not my will but his will .
Blessings