Deny himself

Ok, today all I have is a question. Have I denied myself today?

And he said to them all, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."

What does it mean to "take up [my] cross"? What is my cross? Things that come to mind are suffering, meekness (which means being willing to be exactly where God wants you no matter the cost), obedience, hmm...

Of course, the next verses bring only more questions:

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
"For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?"

Just something to chew on. Meditate on. Dwell on. Luke seems to have a lot of that. This came from chapter nine, starting at verse twenty-three.

MillieJo