Hill of the Crosses
The Hill of the Crosses is a landmark in Lithuania. A living symbol of the faith of a nation-tested by fire. Under communism believers planted crosses of every size and shape in the ground-until the entire hill had been transformed into a giant garden of crosses...Their sufferings had grown into a fertile field of faith.
The communists hated the symbolism and bulldozed the hill over and over again, but each time the faithful re planted their crosses, proving that neither communism, or torture, or even death could destroy the faith of the people. Pope John Paul II visited the Hill and today still, newlyweds pray at the foot of the hill, seeking God's strength to carry their crosses...and for the faith to sustain their marriages.
A painting of the Hill of the Crosses hangs in my home-as a reminder of my journey there and the documentary I produced about the unstoppable faith of the Lithuanian people. The lesson of their lives--lives on for the rest of us, who are struggling daily with our individual crosses.
No one will argue--there is nothing pleasant about suffering...but-like it or not-each one of us carries a multitude of crosses...throughout our lives...Big ones, small ones...heavy ones and light ones...Often times we wish we could bury them...deep in the ground under tons of dirt and gravel. But crosses are meant to be carried with heads held high and hearts that are willing--to see what we have been unable to see until now. That the crosses of life bring about change--a transformation of the heart, mind and soul...and they symbolize the saving grace of God who has offered us the ultimate sacrifice.
And after the cross, always comes the renewal....and the sunlight of serenity. In Lithuania when the cross of communism fell --freedom followed...and flowed throughout the land-renewing the faith and the hope in the power of God -to overcome even the most outrageous evil.
Crosses can be extremely heavy and overwhelming, but when carried on the wings of faith, they can be cultivated into courageous-- life altering gifts.
The communists hated the symbolism and bulldozed the hill over and over again, but each time the faithful re planted their crosses, proving that neither communism, or torture, or even death could destroy the faith of the people. Pope John Paul II visited the Hill and today still, newlyweds pray at the foot of the hill, seeking God's strength to carry their crosses...and for the faith to sustain their marriages.
A painting of the Hill of the Crosses hangs in my home-as a reminder of my journey there and the documentary I produced about the unstoppable faith of the Lithuanian people. The lesson of their lives--lives on for the rest of us, who are struggling daily with our individual crosses.
No one will argue--there is nothing pleasant about suffering...but-like it or not-each one of us carries a multitude of crosses...throughout our lives...Big ones, small ones...heavy ones and light ones...Often times we wish we could bury them...deep in the ground under tons of dirt and gravel. But crosses are meant to be carried with heads held high and hearts that are willing--to see what we have been unable to see until now. That the crosses of life bring about change--a transformation of the heart, mind and soul...and they symbolize the saving grace of God who has offered us the ultimate sacrifice.
And after the cross, always comes the renewal....and the sunlight of serenity. In Lithuania when the cross of communism fell --freedom followed...and flowed throughout the land-renewing the faith and the hope in the power of God -to overcome even the most outrageous evil.
Crosses can be extremely heavy and overwhelming, but when carried on the wings of faith, they can be cultivated into courageous-- life altering gifts.
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