Crosses are ladders for getting to heaven.

The proverb turns a cross, an image of suffering, into a means of ascent. It suggests that hardship can have spiritual value on the way to heaven.

Rather than treating a burden only as an obstacle, the saying invites someone to see it as part of a spiritual journey. Its comfort depends on a religious understanding of suffering.

Use it when offering a religious perspective on a difficult burden someone must bear. Because it gives suffering a spiritual purpose, it may sound dismissive if offered to a person who is seeking practical help or simple sympathy.