Denying your cross?

I tell you, people at Grace really make you think. I think I'm reading the most books I have never read at one time this summer and it's awesome! I have never been so challenged to consider why I believe what I believe or how I believe what I believe like I am this summer. What does it mean to say that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life? Am I modern or postmodern in my thinking? How does the way I live and think and the way others think and live affect how I evangelize? What is evangelism? These are just a few of the craziness going on in my head. I want to specifically talk about one part of the thoughts right now.

Jesus says this in his gospels: "²⁴Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵For whoever wants to save his life^a]">will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." (Matthew 16:24-25)

The interns just finished Greg Paul's book, God in the Alley. Seriously people, this is a must read. The tag line is "Being and seeing Jesus in a broken world" and it's a collection of stories from Sanctuary, a church community in Toronto, that illustrate ways to see and be Jesus outside of common normalities. One of the guys is Patrick, whose story sounds like hell. But he tells it to students each day who come to learn about the community. Each day, he goes through the pain of his story for the benefit of Jesus and the students. Each day it hurts. And each day, his story is being redeemed. It's his way of denying himself and taking up his cross.

I get all of that. And I like it a lot. But what in the world does it mean for the person who has grown up in the church, loves and follows Jesus the best way they know how, completely understands that they are sinful and have been forgiven, and never experienced any terrible part of their walk of faith or "major" rebellion? I mean, practically, day to day, how do they daily take up their cross and deny themselves? I asked this today and was not satisfied the the answer. I get that eventually they will have to deal with something difficult and that at some point they are going to need to spread their wings and move out of their comfort zone. And yes, they do need to be using their gifts and talents. But is using gifts and talents, things that we should enjoy and be happy to share with others, really ways to deny self and take up a cross? To deny our self and take up our cross is not pleasant in any means. It's dealing with pain and suffering- all the ugly persecuting things that sane people will push away from.

So I'm left with my original question. Does it mean trucking through day to day life no matter how boring, mundane, or exciting it is? I definitely think there is a way- I'm just trying to figure out what it looks like.