Jesus says this in Matthew 5:37. I take it to mean “Let your Yes mean Yes and let your No mean No.” Or, “Mean what you say! And be true to your word!” Or, to sum it all up, he is saying, “Be who you are!” This is the essence and the foundation of the Gospel, the Good News, Jesus brought to life in his life just by listening in the emptiness, stillness and silence to what was essential, vital, critical and crucial to life as it is lived everywhere. “Be who you are!” It is never more difficult that that.

Living to bring forth the gifts of our Original Nature, Intrinsic Intuition, Innate Virtues (The things we do best and enjoy most), our inherent imagination in the service of doing what is called for in each situation as it arises is all anyone can be asked to do, and it is what everyone is asked to do.

Just being who we are, here, now, moment by moment, day by day. Babies can do it. What happens to that as we grow up? Why do we give up being who we are and become who the situation requires us to be by becoming what stands the best chance of getting what we want?

What we need to do what is called for and needs to be done is abandoned in favor of doing whatever it takes to get what we want.

And so the place of the cross in Jesus’ life and his request that we “take up our cross and follow him” in doing what is called for no matter what it asks of us. The life of Christ, and of all of those who know what’s what and what needs to be done about it, all our life long.