Jesus never promised that following Him would be easy. In Matthew 10:34-42, He makes clear that true discipleship may cost us our most important relationships, our comfort, and even our sense of control over our own lives. The call to take up a cross is a call to surrender not just what we own, but who we think we are. Yet this surrender is not a loss. Because Jesus was cast out so that we could be brought in, we are freed from the desperate need to preserve ourselves. He calls us out of old allegiances and into a new family, the church, where we bear one another's burdens and open our lives to others. Following Jesus costs something, but the One who asks is the same One who gave everything to make room for us.