The Cross Bearers

THE CROSS BEARERS

The Lord brought two of his disciples to a road. He gave each one a cross of the same weight and asked them to carry it up to the end of the road, where he would wait for them. After this, the Lord disappeared.

The first disciple carried the cross with ease, while the second disciple lagged behind, obviously having a hard time. After carrying the cross for a day, the first disciple reached the end of the road and handed the cross to his Master.

"Well done, my son," the Lord told him and patted the first disciple on his back.

The second disciple reached the end of the road in the evening of the second day. When he got there, he threw the cross at the Lord’s feet.

"It’s not fair!" he complained. "You gave me a much heavier cross than the first disciple, which is why it took me longer to get here!"

The Lord looked at his second disciple with sadness. "Son," the Lord said to the disciple, "both crosses are of the same weight."

"But how come I carried mine with much difficulty while he carried his with ease?"

"Do not put the blame on the cross," the Lord told him. "It is because you were complaining all the way as you carried your cross. Every complaint added to the weight of the cross. The first disciple carried his cross with ease because every loving thought diminished its weight."