CROSSES TO BEAR?

I was recently listening to a sermon being delivered by a minister at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. The sermon was on" carrying your cross," connected to the saying that "we all have our cross to bear." I do not want to discuss the Chrisitan meaning ascribed to this but the meaning it might have for all of us. I especially want to explore the possibility that it can help us to move away from the sadly comforting blaming others for our problems and instead recognize that we really are all [wonderfully] connected to each other.

So, is it possible to understand this cross idea as support for all of us being one, big, [happy?], family. It is like being brave enough to choose to be open to possibilities and therefore to see what happens each day. Instead of being stuck in fear and worry every day, reassuring ourselves by blaming others for our fears because of what they are doing. Maybe our cross is the moments [periods] of self doubt that we experience. The weight of self doubt can be like the weight of carrying a cross. If we recognize this doubt within ourselves and that we are responsible for feeling it, then it should be easier to believe that everyone might have these doubts. We might also be able to see that sometimes self-doubt leads to blaming others for our own problems and that blaming others does not help us to feel any better. 

If we take responsibility for our doubts it might be easier to see others also having doubts and fears and feel a connection to them versus feeling separated from them and even suspicious of them.