Life is a series of unfortunate events that prepare you
for one great moment that makes the unfortunate events all worth it. You can
call me a pessimist, or even a functionalist. Do I believe my life is full of
blessings? Absolutely. There’s no doubt in my mind that my creator looks after
me, especially since he gives me another chance at life every morning I get to
open my eyes. I also believe that life is about carrying your cross. Most of
us, because we are human, make the process of carrying our cross harder than it
has to be by adding things to the cross to make it heavier. Some of us have
chosen to make our crosses as light as possible, while others have chosen to
carry their own cross plus someone else’s. If you don’t carry your cross on
your own, do you deserve to reap all the benefits for yourself?
Good moments in life are like having someone bring that soaked
sponge to your mouth while you’re on that jagged quest to reach the top of the
mountain. The water is a break of sorts. We all get those water breaks, and
they usually come from someone we love or respect. I’ve had my fair share of
water breaks. Some of those water breaks came from people who have walked the
path next to me and every once in a while held the sponge up to my mouth when
they saw I needed it most. Other times it came from people who decided to help momentarily,
before finding someone else to help. From my perspective, all those who have
been responsible for holding that sponge up to my mouth deserve respect. It
doesn’t matter who was more consistent. Some of those people who held that
sponge up to my mouth added to my cross at the same time. Some have even gone
as far as leaning on my cross while I was trying to move/carry it. Some crosses
naturally come heavier than others. My mom has always said I’ve had an unusual strength.
Haha.
Anyway, my point is this. Carry your cross, no matter how
heavy it is, without complaining. You don’t know whose cross might actually be
heavier. Be grateful for the people along the road who hold that sponge up to
your mouth. Don’t mind those who add to your cross because someone later down
the road will help take some of the load off your cross.
Now, I’m not saying we’re like Jesus. I’m saying, whether you believe in him or not, the story has a moral and theme that we can all apply to our lives. Complaining about how heavy your cross is doesn’t make it any lighter. If anything, complaining drains your energy. If you have the opportunity to put your cross down and hold that sponge to someone’s mouth, do it. Who knows, maybe they haven’t had water in a long time and were on the verge of collapsing. If you purposefully add to someone else’s cross you are adding double to yours. If you spend all your time adding to other’s weight, you will never reach the top.
So, you choose.
