THE MAN AND HIS CROSS

A man was carrying his cross. He watched beside him several other men and women, each carrying a cross on his right shoulder. This man felt that his cross was heavy and difficult to carry. Inwardly he knew that cross was for something, but he did not quite understand why he carried it.

One day he felt very tired from carrying that heavy cross. He almost always complained of the weight of his cross to God.

However, a thought came to him: "What if I cut a little bit of my cross? I think cutting a small part of it will not make much difference. God does not want to see me suffering and carrying this burden, "he thought.

Then the man cut off a piece of the cross and moved onward on his journey.

Another day, he was still tired, but not so much as he had been since his cross was now a little lighter. But again, the same thought came to him: "What if I cut another piece of the cross? I cut it the first time, and look how I could walk faster! No, God does not want to see your children in pain. He will not mind if I cut another piece of it. "

Then the man took up his cross and cut another piece, this time removing an even larger part. Then he walked on. This time he was much more relieved, for now his cross was almost half full.

The man, in this way, was able to hasten his pace. He realized that, with a lighter cross, he could get ahead of other people. He passed through men and women carrying a heavy cross and found it funny that most would accept the storm of a load so difficult to drive. He soon realized that he was one of the first, and saw a crowd of people behind him. He thought to himself, "I was smarter than these people. It lowers the weight of my cross and I was able to walk faster. Yes, it's great to be smart and get a shortcut and facilities on this path. "

The man continued his walk and glimpsed a huge cliff before him. It was a very deep abyss, and impossible to cross without a bridge. He looked from the sides and there was no passage. He wondered how he could cross that space. Other people were also arriving and no one knew how to move to the other side. At that moment a voice from heaven said,

"Do not worry. The cross that each of you has is not just a cross, but a bridge. It is enough for you to put the cross on the abyss so that you can cross it. "

Then they all posted their respective crosses over the abyss, forming a bridge with it, and each one went up on the cross and was able to cross over the abyss.

The man who cut his cross did the same. He placed his cross over the abyss, but to his surprise he realized that the crosses had made his cross smaller, and it was not large enough to move from one end of the abyss to the other.

The man fell to his knees on the floor, wept, and deeply regretted having cut his cross. Now he understood that the cross was nothing more than a bridge, and that at the right moment, it would be useful in his journey.