A WELL-KNOWN ALLEGORY says that a Christian was walking along one day with his heavy wooden cross when he saw another Christian carrying a lighter cross. Believing that his was not made to measure for him, he complained to God: “Lord give me a cross that does not weigh as much.»
God replied to his prayer by putting a much lighter cross in the path of this Christian. The next day, the man, very content, took up his new cross that much less and was more manageable, but he immediately came to a point in the path where there was a very deep hole, an abyss that was impossible to get across by jumping.
«How will I get through this difficulty?” thought the man. At that moment, he saw how another Christian arrived at the location carrying his own cross, which was the same size as the one he himself had first had. The other Christian put the cross on the ground and walked on it to get to the other side of the obstacle. The man with the smaller cross tried to do the same thing, only to discover that his cross was not sufficiently large to reach the other side. Hence, he was not able to get past the obstacle in the path.
Then he prayed in the following way: «Forgive me, Lord, for thinking that the first cross You gave me was not the perfect one for me. Now I understand that You knew what was ahead of me in my path, while I did not know it and only thought of my comfort.»
Dear friend, it is very easy to look at our lives and compare them to those of other people we relate with every day, coming to the conclusion that the path they have to take or the cross they have to bear gives them a significant advantage over our trials and circumstances. This is a superficial vision of the Christian path because our relationship with Christ and our lives are based on the acceptance of His will for us. That will is individual; every path is unique and original, like every woman.
Trust in God is the key to our passage through this world. We have to believe that He knows what we need, what is best for us, and what He wants us to learn by sharing His suffering.
«For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, 9 and My thoughts than your thoughts» (Isaiah 55:9).