Passage
No man taketh it away from me: but I lay it down of myself. And I have power to lay it down: and I have power to take it up again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
John 10:18 (DRB)
Nearby Context
John 10:16 And other sheep I have that are not of this fold: them also I must bring. And they shall hear my voice: And there shall be one fold and one shepherd.
John 10:17 Therefore doth the Father love me: because I lay down my life, that I may take it again.
John 10:18 No man taketh it away from me: but I lay it down of myself. And I have power to lay it down: and I have power to take it up again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
John 10:19 A dissension rose again among the Jews for these words.
John 10:20 And many of them said: He hath a devil and is mad. Why hear you him?
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "taketh", "away", "down", "myself", and "power". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "taketh" and "away", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 17's "Therefore doth the Father love me because..." into verse 19's "A dissension rose again among the Jews...", so "taketh" and "away" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "taketh" and "away" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.