There is a story about a woman who dreamt of the perfect place to live for eternity. She found the ideal city; perfect in every way. Its bright light dazzled any approaching evil. Its perfect peace allowed all of its residents to live happily.

As an angel approached, she asked him the name of the city and how she could get there.

That city is New Jerusalem. To get there, she would have to carry the cross that the angel held in his hand and always follow in that direction without deviating one step to the right or to the left.

Despite its weight, the cross wasn’t unbearable at all to carry. Besides, it was worth sacrificing in order to reach that place.

The dreamer took the cross and began on her journey. The weight of the cross forced her to shift it from one shoulder to the other.

The devil noticed her difficulty in carrying the cross and disguised himself as an angel of light. He approached her and suggested an easier way to carry it: reduce its size.

“That’s an excellent idea,” she said. After all, her shoulders were already sore.

“But where will you find a saw to cut the cross in the middle of this desert?” asked the supposed angel of light.

Immediately, he made a saw appear. After cutting the cross, she put the pieces under her arm and continued happily.

After some time, she began approaching the city and saw that there was a large abyss separating the city from the rest of the world. She looked both ways, but didn’t see any bridges nearby.

The angel that had given her the cross appeared and asked, “Where is the cross I gave you?”

She said, “I cut it in order to make my journey easier.”

“The purpose of that cross was for you to use it as a bridge and get across this abyss,” the angel told her.

“Besides, there is only one cross for each person. You destroyed your cross and now you’ve also destroyed your life. There is nothing else I can do for you.”
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me”. Matthew 16:24