The first time I saw my husband was on Easter Sunday 2003, and he was standing on the stage at church in the shadow of a large, 30-foot cross. Since then, living “in the shadow of the cross” has had special meaning to us, and God has shown me what it looks like to live my life in that special place.

By looking at what happened in the shadow of the actual cross of Calvary as well as what Paul said later about being in the shadow of the cross, we can find 8 results you will get from living in the shadow of the cross. Explore the list below, and this Easter, ask yourself, “Am I living in the shadow of the cross?”

1.  Acknowledgement

Matthew 27:54 tells of the Roman guards who stood in the shadow of the cross on the day of Jesus’s crucifixion. After Jesus died, they exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
When you live your life in the shadow of the cross, you acknowledge who Jesus really is.

2.  Praise

In Luke 23:47, it tells specifically of one Roman centurion who saw what had happened in the shadow of the cross and praised God. This is significant because, aside from acknowledging Jesus as the son of God, he probably didn’t understand much else. He was not a Jew and did not have the same understanding of the Messiah as Jews did. However, what he witnessed led him to praise God despite his limited understanding.
When you live your life in the shadow of the cross, you can praise God even when you don’t fully understand him.

3.  Peace

There is one thing that happened in the shadow of the cross that often gets overlooked. Jesus spoke specifically to his disciple, John, and to his mother, Mary. He said to Mary, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to John, “Here is your mother” (John 19:25-27). Jesus is making sure his mother is going to be taken care of even after he is gone.  Apparently, Joseph had already died, and as the oldest son, Jesus had an obligation to care for his mom.  Even from the cross, Jesus’s heart and thoughts were on taking care of others and providing for their needs.
Living in the shadow of the cross is living in peace that God will supply all of your needs.

4.  Forgiveness

The Bible tells of two instances of forgiveness that occurred in the shadow of the cross. The first is when Jesus forgave those who were executing him. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:32-34). The second is when Jesus forgave the criminal who was being crucified beside him (Luke 23:39-43). One person repented and asked for forgiveness. The others showed no signs of repentance and kept doing wrong. Jesus forgave both.
Living in the shadow of the cross means that you forgive everyone who has wronged you, regardless of whether or not they repent or say they’re sorry.

5.  Freedom

The next result of living in the shadow of the cross can be seen from Paul’s observation in Colossians 2:13-15. He explained that Jesus canceled the written code (or the law), took it away, and nailed it to the cross. In other words, when Jesus died on the cross, legalism was killed and Grace was born in its place giving us the freedom to BE instead of DO.
In the shadow of the cross, you gain the freedom to BE instead of DO. 

6.  Humility

Paul gives us another result of living in the shadow of the cross in Galatians 6:14: “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ…” Paul is saying that everything we do is nothing if others end up seeing us and our accomplishments rather than the cross.
To live your life in the shadow of the cross means you serve with humility in a way that brings attention to God and not yourself.

7.  Reconciliation

Paul also explains that through Jesus’s blood that was shed on the cross, God reconciled to himself all things (Col. 1:15-20). In accounting terms, to reconcile something means you bring it into agreement with something else. Relationships can also be reconciled.  When people are “out of balance” or in disagreement, something must be done to get both parties on the same page.  With God, sin was the thing that caused us to be in disagreement with him.  It made the relationship out of balance.  Because Jesus paid for those sins on the cross, the relationship could be reconciled.
Living in the shadow of the cross means you are reconciled (on good terms) with God.

8.  Communication

Finally, Matthew, Mark and Luke all share another significant event that happened in the shadow of the cross: “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” In the Old Testament, only the high priest could go behind the curtain into the holy of holies and talk directly with God.  The ripping of this literal curtain signified that now everyone could be in direct communication with God through Christ.
Living in the shadow of the cross means that you can communicate directly with God.

I hope this gives you something to consider as you’re putting on your Easter bonnet, hiding eggs for the kids, or attending a sunrise service at church. Have a wonderful, happy Easter celebrating our risen Savior and living in the shadow of His Cross!

Are you living in the shadow of the cross? What does living in the shadow of the cross mean to you?