August 29

"And he went out carrying his own cross" (John 19:17).

There is a poem called "The Changed Cross." It represents a weary one who thought that her cross was surely heavier than those of others whom she saw about her, and she wished that she might choose an other instead of her own. She slept, and in her dream she was led to a place where many crosses lay, crosses of different shapes and sizes. There was a little one most beauteous to behold¹, set in jewels and gold. "Ah, this I can wear with comfort," she said. So she took it up, but her weak form shook beneath it. The jewels and the gold were beautiful, but they were far too heavy for her.

Next she saw a lovely cross with fair flowers entwined around its sculptured form. Surely that was the one for her. She lifted it, but beneath the flowers were piercing thorns which tore her flesh.

At last, as she went on, she came to a plain cross, without jewels, without carvings², with only a few words of love inscribed³ upon it. This she took up and it proved the best of all, the easiest to be borne. And as she looked upon it, bathed in the radiance that fell from Heaven, she recognized her own old cross. She had found it again, and it was the best of all and lightest for her.

God knows best what cross we need to bear. We do not know how heavy other people's crosses are. We envy someone who is rich; his is a golden cross set with jewels, but we do not know how heavy it is. Here is another whose life seems very lovely. She bears a cross twined with flowers. If we could try all the other crosses that we think lighter⁴ than our own, we would at last find that not one of them suited us so well as our own.--Glimpses through Life's Windows

If thou, impatient, dost let slip thy cross,

Thou wilt⁵ not find it in this world again;

Nor in another: here and here alone,

Is given thee to suffer for God's sake.

In other worlds we may more perfectly⁶,

Love Him and serve Him, praise Him,

Grow nearer and nearer to Him with delight.

But then we shall not any more,

Be called to suffer, which is our appointment here.

Const thou not suffer, then, one hour or two?

If He should call thee from thy cross today,

Saying: “It is finished-that hard cross of thine.

From which thou prayest for deliverance,”

Thinkest thou not some passion of regret

Would overcome thee? Thou would'st say,

“So soon? Let me go back and suffer yet awhile

More patiently. I have not yet praised God.”

Whensoe'er it comes, that summons that we look for,

It will seem soon, too soon. Let us take heed⁷ in time,

That God may now be glorified⁸ in us.

-Ugo Bassi's Sermon in a Hospital

八月二十九日

「耶稣背着自己的十字架出来。」（约十九17）

有一首诗名叫「换来的十字架」。里面讲到一个疲乏的姊妹，以为她的十字架，一定比别人的更重；所以，渴望和别人换一个背背。一天，她做了一个梦，梦中她到了一个地方，在那里横着许多十字架━各种形状不同，大小不同的十字架。有一个小十字架形状最美丽，上面镶着宝石和黄金。这个姊妹一看见就说：「啊，这一个背着一定舒适。」所以，她就把它拿起来；不料，她虚弱的身体，竟在这个十字架下面震颤了。宝石和黄金果然美丽，可是它们太重了，她背不动。

后来，她又看见一个可爱的十字架，雕刻的木架上，盘着美丽的鲜花。她想：这一定容易背了。她就将它举取来，不料鲜花下面，有许多尖刺，刺痛了她的皮肉。她一步一步向前走去，一个一个试着，发现每一个十字架，都不容易背。最后，她看见一个朴素的十字架，上面没有宝石，也没有雕刻，只书着几句亲爱的话。她拿起它来，觉得这是许多中间最容易背的一个。她向它仔细一看，在阳光下，她认得这原来是她自己的旧十字架。啊！这个旧十字架竟是许多十字架中间最好、最轻的一个！

亲爱的读者，神知道我们需要背的是那一个十字架。我们不知道别人的十字架多么重。我们常常艳羡有钱的人━他们的十字架是黄金的，上面镶嵌着宝石━我们却不知道这十字架是多么重。还有一些人，她们的生活似乎很是可爱━她们背上盘着鲜花的十字架━我们却不知道鲜花下面有许多尖锐的刺。如果我们能去试试别人的━我们以为比我们自己的更轻的━十字架看，我们就会发现：这些十字架中间，没有一个像我们自己这个那样叫我们满意。－－译自信徒生活一瞥

1 behold   

v.看，注视，看到

参考例句：

• The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
• The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。

2 carvings   

n.雕刻( carving的名词复数 )；雕刻术；雕刻品；雕刻物

参考例句：

• The desk was ornamented with many carvings. 这桌子装饰有很多雕刻物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town. 贝雕是该城的特产。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 inscribed   

v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接

参考例句：

• His name was inscribed on the trophy. 他的名字刻在奖杯上。
• The names of the dead were inscribed on the wall. 死者的名字被刻在墙上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

5 wilt   

v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱

参考例句：

• Golden roses do not wilt and will never need to be watered.金色的玫瑰不枯萎绝也不需要浇水。
• Several sleepless nights made him wilt.数个不眠之夜使他憔悴。

6 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

7 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

8 glorified   

美其名的，变荣耀的

参考例句：

• The restaurant was no more than a glorified fast-food cafe. 这地方美其名曰餐馆，其实只不过是个快餐店而已。
• The author glorified the life of the peasants. 那个作者赞美了农民的生活。