Between Two Crosses

With Easter coming up, I can’t help but think about this. There were three crosses that day. Not one. Not just Jesus alone. Three.

And I think sometimes we rush past that detail… but it matters more than we realize. Because Jesus wasn’t just crucified. He was placed in the middle.

On one side, a man who rejected Him. On the other, a man who reached for Him. Same pain. Same proximity. Same final moments. But two completely different hearts. One of them looked at Jesus and mocked Him. Even in suffering, even at the edge of eternity, his heart stayed hard.

The other… something shifted. Maybe it was the way Jesus spoke. Maybe it was the peace He carried in the middle of agony. Maybe it was the realization that the man next to him wasn’t just a man.

And with what little strength he had left, he said: “Jesus, remember me.” That’s it.

No perfect speech. No cleaned-up life. No time to prove himself. Just a moment of surrender.

And Jesus answered him with something that still shakes me: “Today, you will be with Me in paradise.” That means… even at the very end, it wasn’t too late. And I think that’s what wrecks me the most.

Because it means Jesus didn’t just die for the ones who “got it right.” He died for the ones who would turn to Him… even with seconds left on the clock. But here’s the part that’s been sitting heavy on my heart: Jesus didn’t just hang there.

He stood in the space between two eternities. Between rejection… and redemption. Between pride… and humility. Between staying lost… and being found. He became the bridge.

Both men were equally close to Him. Let that sink in. They could both see Him. Hear Him. Speak to Him. But only one chose to cross over.

And if I’m being honest… I see myself in that moment. Not physically on a cross, but spiritually standing somewhere in between.

Between my old habits and the life God is calling me into. Between temptation and obedience. Between the version of me that struggles… and the version of me that’s being refined. And Jesus is still right there in the middle.

Not waiting for me to fix myself first. Not asking for perfection. Just… “Come to Me.”

That criminal didn’t have time to become “better.” He didn’t have time to earn anything. All he did was turn his head… and his heart. And that was enough.

I think sometimes we overcomplicate what it means to come to God. We think we need to have it all together. We think we need to be stronger, cleaner, more disciplined.

But the cross tells a different story. It tells me that even in my mess, even in my last-place moments… I can still turn toward Him. And He will meet me there.

Three crosses. One rejected Him. One received Him. And Jesus stayed in the middle… making a way for both.

So the question isn’t how close you are to Jesus. Because those men were as close as you can get.

The real question is: What are you choosing to do with Him?

And as for me… I am still learning. Still growing. Still turning my head toward Him, again and again. Because I don’t want to just be near Him.

I want to choose Him.

~*~

Father,
Thank You for meeting me in the middle.
In the space between who I’ve been and who You’re calling me to be… You are there. Not distant. Not waiting for me to get it right first. But right beside me, like You were on that cross, making a way.
Forgive me for the times I’ve been close to You, but still resistant in my heart. For the moments I’ve chosen my way over Yours, even when I knew better.
Today, I choose to turn toward You. Not perfectly. Not with everything figured out. But honestly… and fully.
Help me not to just stand near You, but to truly receive You. To trust You. To follow You.
When I feel stuck between my struggles and Your truth, remind me that You are the bridge. That I don’t have to earn my way to You. You already made a way for me.
So I come to You now, just like that man did… with nothing to offer but a willing heart.
Remember me, Lord. Hold me. Lead me. And teach me to choose You, again and again.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.