The Cross Still Speaks

I’d heard the call before and was surprised by the stir in my heart and the tears that welled in my eyes. The speaker’s passion and sincerity brought life to her plea.

“Millions are in the valley of decision. Lift up the Cross so they can see the way!”

Speaking to a room full of Christian Writers seeking to hone their wordsmithing skills, Hope’s plea was not about words. She longed for us to raise up a “real” cross — something neighbors would see when they passed our homes.

Home from the conference, I shared the request with my talented husband. He quickly embraced the idea and secured a cross in the peak of our garage. The Cross overlooked our comings and goings — and those of the ones who came to see us. It blessed us to proclaim our faith so clearly.

A few years later we moved to the Bible Belt where crosses are everywhere. But Hope’s plea still resonated in our hearts, so, we planted a cross at the top of our driveway. Sitting atop of a knoll, our old home was a proclamation of history and change. And in our driveway in our one-street town, our front yard was a place where life happened and people shared how God was at work in their lives. Again, the upraised Cross proclaimed the power of faith and sparked conversations of hope.

The years passed, and a desire to downsize moved us to a smaller home in the country on the corner of a well-trafficked road. A little outbuilding facing the road proved to be the perfect place for a large cross. Here, its witness seems to call to strangers.

People we do not know just pop in here. One gentleman stopped to say he had his first kiss under the tree in our front yard. Others have anonymously brought bags of carrots for our old horses. Some bring children asking if they can pet the horse — or one of the ‘abandoned’ cats who have adopted our porch as home.

This week, in the midst of a southern downpour, a drenched, bedraggled man knocked on our door. His car had broken down a mile or more up the road. He had trudged by at least a dozen houses. He had a few miles to go before he would get to his home. But the Cross gave him hope. And his hope did not disappoint. Craig loaded him into the truck and drove him home.

So, friend, perhaps this will help you hear the same call that pierced my heart decades ago — lift up a cross so others will see hope. The Cross still speaks.